These one-page infographics share how social determinants of health (SDOH) not only help promote health outcomes and health equity, but also increase people with intellectual and developmental disabilities’ (IDD’s) quality of life. They cover the impact of individual outcomes on the number of emergency room visits, injuries, and ‘challenging’ behavior.
About Social Determinants of Health
Social determinants of health are conditions, environments, and settings that impact not only health but also overall quality of life. “By working to establish policies that positively influence social and economic conditions and those that support changes in individual behavior, we can improve health for large numbers of people in ways that can be sustained over time. Improving the conditions in which we live, learn, work, and play and the quality of our relationships will create a healthier population, society, and workforce” (United States Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, n.d.). Attention to social determinants of health is critical for health equity, especially for people who disabilities who face health disparities and inequities compared to nondisabled people. Attention to social determinants of health can promote the health and quality of life of people with disabilities.