The Social Determinants of Health

Abstract

This chapter provides some historical background on social determinants of health (SDH) through a discussion on the emergence of the SDH discourse in global health. It highlights the role that different institutions have played in the dissemination of current knowledge about the topic, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) through its Commission on Social Determinants of Health. The chapter discusses the most impactful SDHs, including income and employment, education, health systems, social protection, the built environment, and social patterns of exclusion. It focuses on the some of the global forces that have come to be particularly effective in impacting the SDHs, with special attention given to the relationship between contemporary globalization and the SDHs. The chapter outlines some of the central markers of an SDH approach and suggests that such an approach is well-suited to understanding the pervasive inequities that continue to exist in the international health arena.

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