Incorporating the Social and Structural Determinants of Health Into Clinical Practice: Thinking Upstream: Social and Structural Determinants of Health

Abstract

The health impact of the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age have been recognized for centuries. However, widespread acceptance of this impact remains contentious, as inequities in morbidity and mortality represent the enduring legacies of displacement, oppression, and systemic discrimination. The World Health Organization estimates that social and structural determinants are responsible for 30% to 55% of all health outcomes. Social determinants of health, structural determinants of health, structural violence, and the need for structural competency are four codependent concepts that must be explored together to develop responsive clinical interventions. Social and structural determinants of health include wealth and social status, geography and neighborhood, employment and labor, and education. Racism is a major driver of social and structural determinants of health in the United States. It is important to differentiate between upstream and downstream approaches to addressing health inequities because addressing upstream factors has a greater impact.