Social Determinants of Health Resources for Health Care Professionals
The Impact of Social and Environmental Factors on Health
Where we are born, grow, live, work and age have an important influence on our health. Determinants of health are the broad range of personal, social, economic, and environmental factors that determine individual and population health.
What Are the Social Determinants of Health?
Social determinants of health refer to a specific group of social and economic factors within the broader determinants of health. These relate to an individual’s place in society, such as income, education, or employment. Experiences of discrimination, racism, and historical trauma are important social determinants of health for certain groups such as Indigenous Peoples, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and Black Canadians.
Helpful Links:
• Lambton Public Health Social Factors
• Government of Canada Social determinants of health and health inequalities
• World Health Organization Social Determinants of Health: key concepts
Language Interpretation and Translation
Those who do not speak the same language as their healthcare provider have significant barriers to accessing care, which can lead to poor health outcomes. Accessing a professional interpreter facilitates communication from the source language to the target language and vice versa while maintaining awareness of cultural sensitivity, tone, and context of the message being conveyed.
Helpful Links:
• Across Languages Interpretation & Translation Services
• Bluewater Health In-Demand Interpretation Service with Voyce
Resources
Helpful Links:
• Age-Friendly Sarnia-Lambton
• Changing the Language of Addiction
• Creating Safer Environments for Indigenous Peoples
• Gender Identity Clinic | CAMH
• Lambton Public Health Sociodemographic Profile Report
• Quick Reference Guide: Queer Health
• Rainbow Health Ontario
• Black Health Alliance
• Rainbow Health Ontario Service Provider Directory
Ministry of Health Refugee Health Line: 1-866-286-4770
Tools for Use in Practice
Enhance your capacity to provide equity-oriented health care, particularly for those who experience significant health and social inequities.
• What are Health Equity Interventions
• Poverty: A Clinical Tool for Primary Care Providers
• EQUIP Health Care