Social determinants of health are the non-medical factors that affect individual health outcomes, including the places people are born, grow, work, live, and age. Economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies, political structures, racism, and climate change are just a few examples. Other examples include:
Health equity is a principle that increases opportunities for everyone to live the healthiest life possible, regardless of who they are, where they live, or their resources. Domains include behavior, maternal and infant, children, aging, chronic conditions, and substance use.
We employ a critical, evidence-based focus on disparities in health outcomes between groups. Structural inequities are produced by structural injustices that affect people differently on the basis of demographic characteristics such as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographic location, gender, and sexual orientation.
We focus on immersive, localized initiatives that improve individuals’ quality of life and health outcomes. Place-based efforts build strong communities by increasing structural access to opportunities; for example, job or physical activity opportunities, or access to affordable housing.