What determines the health of a population?

It was very interesting to read your examples and understanding of the determinants of health in the previous step. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are four determinants of health.

Of course, our genes and biological make-up is part of what determines our health. Medical care and having access to good medical care is also an important determinant of our health. And as we’ve seen, health behaviours have a significant role to play in our health outcomes.

But by far the largest role to play in determining our health is our social context, the characteristics of the societies we live in, and the position that we have in these, which can determine the opportunities and “choices” available to us.

Watch the video on this step to find out more. You can also read more on the social determinants of health on the CDC website in the ‘See also’ section below