The role of physicians in addressing social determinants of health

To a large degree, health is shaped by the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, collectively termed the social determinants of health. US public and health care professionals care about improving health outcomes. Compared with other high-income countries, the US spends significantly more per capita and in total on health care. Yet through chronic underinvestment in some of the conditions that most influence health, such as social services, education, physical environments, and access to healthy food, progress has been undermined, with lower-than-average outcomes across a range of health indicators, including a recent decline in life expectancy.