Social Determinants of Health (SDoH)

Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) are a collection of environmental factors that include socioeconomic status, education level, neighborhood (proximity to parks, nutritious food, air quality), racial segregation and racism, gender inequality, and more. For a family, particularly children who have no control over their environment, these factors can have a huge impact on their health outcomes and status. For example, a child growing up in a home with an abusive parent (this crosses socioeconomic and racial/cultural boundaries) might experience a high amount of stress for prolonged periods. This can negatively impact the nervous system in several ways. Under normal circumstances, the pre-frontal cortex (logic center) will not be affected by acute stress; there are mechanisms that help to maintain homeostasis. However, for a child experiencing chronic stress and trauma, the adrenal glands will secrete more cortisol (the stress hormone) in the body, which can lead to impairment and/or the shutdown of the pre-frontal cortex. Also, the size of the hippocampus (responsible for long-term memories) can be reduced during stress. Therefore, it is important for health professionals to seek out ways to address SDoH and not simply the signs and symptoms of the health condition presented by the client. It is about getting to the root of the problem.

UTHSC OT program’s requirements for service and professional development hours serve to facilitate preparedness in students as future OT practitioners in several ways: (1) creates learning experiences in settings and environments with populations they might not otherwise initiate on their own, (2) establishes a standard of serving others, which students will uphold as future OT practitioners, (3) prepares students for philanthropy, and (4) launches their OT resume with meaningful roles and responsibilities.