There are many different lists of the social determinants of health; we chose the economy, education, the environment, food security, health, housing, safety, social inclusion, and transportation to focus on for Hornby. We felt that these combine many, but certainly not all, of the important factors for the island.
Medical News Today defines the “[s]ocial determinants of health [as] an individual’s personal circumstances that impact their health and well-being. They include political, socioeconomic, and cultural factors, alongside how easily someone can access healthcare, education, a safe place to live, and nutritious food.” 1
These aspects of a person’s life are tightly intertwined and can have a large impact on each other. It is important to consider the many barriers to access when looking at these areas; keeping in mind that some barriers are universal and others may only apply to a subsection of the population. Inequity of access to services is a vital aspect to consider as service delivery models are planned. A conference at York University identified a model of the social determinants of health and reviewed current literature citing that the evidence shows that the effects of the social determinants of health “are actually much stronger than the ones associated with behaviours such as diet, physical activity, and even tobacco and excessive alcohol use.”2
UN Sustainable Development Goal #3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well being for all at all ages.3
- Medical News Today. n.d. What are social determinants of health? Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/housing-and-health#summary ↩︎
- Raphael, D. (2009). Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives pg. 14. Retrieved from https://thecanadianfacts.org ↩︎
- UN Sustainable Development Goals. N.d. Goal 3. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/health/ ↩︎