Social factors such as education, access to clean water, exposure to violence, and birth place can determine how long and how well a person and his or her descendants will live. Such social determinants — or the conditions in which people are born, live, work, and age — contribute to disparities in population health status between and within countries. Educating health professionals about social determinants of health generates awareness about certain potential root causes of ill health and the importance of addressing these determinants in and with communities.
A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine presents a framework for how to better educate health professionals to address social determinants of health.
Advance copies of A Framework for Educating Health Professionals to Address the Social Determinants of Health will be available to reporters only beginning at 3 p.m. EST on Friday, March 4. The report is embargoed and not for public release before 11 a.m. EST on Monday, March 7. To request a copy, please contact the Academies’ Office of News and Public Information; tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu.