Why Is Addressing Social Determinants of Health Important for CDC and Public Health?
Addressing differences in SDOH makes progress toward health equity, a state in which every person has the opportunity to attain their highest level of health. SDOH have been shown to have a greater influence on health than either genetic factors or access to healthcare services. For example, poverty is highly correlated with poorer health outcomes and higher risk of premature death.1 SDOH, including the effects of centuries of racism, are key drivers of health inequities within communities of color. The impact is pervasive and deeply embedded in our society, creating inequities in access to a range of social and economic benefits—such as housing, education, wealth, and employment. These inequities put people at higher risk of poor health.
CDC is coordinating efforts to focus its resources on the areas where federal public health investments can accelerate progress and make the most difference. SDOH is a multifaceted public health problem, which provides an opportunity for collaboration with many sectors (e.g., transportation, education, housing, healthcare) and types of organizations (e.g., public agencies, private industry, community-based organizations).
CDC’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) focuses on reducing high rates of chronic diseases for specific racial and ethnic groups in urban, rural, and tribal communities. Since 1999, the program has worked across sectors in racial and ethnic minority communities to reduce tobacco use, improve access to healthy foods, change the built environment to promote physical activity, and connect people to clinical care. (NCCDPHP SDOH)
Public Health Actions That Affect SDOH
Public health organizations can:
Bring together community members and organizations to identify local concerns.
CDC has a long history of convening partners through national conferences, webinars, collaborative publications, and guideline development. CDC also encourages other public health organizations to act as conveners by including coalition-building or community engagement activities as a requirement in some funded projects.
Lead approaches to develop policies and solutions or leverage funding through various mechanisms to implement and expand priority actions. For example, when CDC Director Rochelle Walensky announced that racism is a public health threat, it reinforced actions that communities were already taking and supported many others as they took subsequent actions.
Collaborate with others to find innovative solutions and put them into place. For example, an LA County public health initiative resulted in the ban of menthol cigarettes.
CDC’s Role in Addressing SDOH
CDC is committed to addressing health inequities and their root causes, including SDOH. In April 2021, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky declared racism a public health threat, and the agency is currently engaged in an all-encompassing health equity initiative. As the federal government’s leading public health agency, CDC has a unique role in contributing to work on SDOH.
CDC is coordinating efforts to focus its resources on the areas where federal public health investments can accelerate progress and make the most difference. SDOH is a multifaceted public health problem, which provides an opportunity for collaboration with many sectors (e.g., transportation, education, housing, healthcare) and types of organizations (e.g., public agencies, private industry, community-based organizations).
Footnotes
1. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241563703
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Places: Local Data for Better Health. Updated April 4, 2022. Accessed June 22, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/places/index.html
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Environmental Public Health Tracking. Updated February 17, 2022. Accessed June 22, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/tracking/topics/EnvironmentalJustice.htm