What is health and why do we get sick? In this episode, we're going to discuss what makes up a person's health and the risk factors of disease and why those health drivers overly impact black and brown residents of Erie and Monroe Counties. By the end of the podcast, you will be able to identify the social determinants of health and understand how those social determinants of health have an impact on your health. Welcome to the Healthy Illness podcast.

Health is multifaceted, with only 30% attributed to personal health behaviors, while the remaining 70% is influenced by social determinants of health. These include economic stability, education quality, neighborhood environment, access to healthcare, and social support systems. These external factors shape our ability to make healthy lifestyle choices and access necessary healthcare services.

This episode is brought to you by Hustle for Health Programs, with support from Health Research Incorporated and New York State Health Department.

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH 

Social Determinants of Health - Healthy People 2030 | health.gov

Social determinants of health (SDOH) have a major impact on people’s health, well-being, and quality of life. Examples of SDOH include:

SDOH also contribute to wide health disparities and inequities. For example, people who don't have access to grocery stores with healthy foods are less likely to have good nutrition. That raises their risk of health conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity — and even lowers life expectancy relative to people who do have access to healthy foods.

Just promoting healthy choices won't eliminate these and other health disparities. Instead, public health organizations and their partners in sectors like education, transportation, and housing need to take action to improve the conditions in people's environments. 

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