Week 2 – Assignment: Create a Profile Using the Social Determinants of Health
This assignment has two parts and is designed to provide you with an opportunity to analyze various portions of specific populations using the social determinants of health. You will use this skill in Section 2 when you learn how to measure the health of populations. You will also use this skill in Section 3 when you develop recommendations and plan interventions to improve health outcomes.
Part 1: Create a Basic Population Profile
Using the WHO classifications of the seven social determinants of health, create a basic profile for a population. To begin, define your population by race, ethnicity, age, and geographic location (e.g., Hispanic between the ages of 25-74 living in Columbus, Ohio, or just Ohio). Further, identify this population by each of the seven social determinants of health. A few descriptive guidelines (with examples) are provided to assist you in this identification process.
An education level (less than high school, high school, college, graduate school)
Income level (low, middle, high)
Physical environment (rural, urban, suburban)
Social support network (family, single parent, friends)
Genetics (does ethnicity or race affect your population)
Health Services (access to both medical and preventive health services)
Gender (male, female, other
Once this first step of creating a population profile is completed, consider the following and defend your response:
- Identify the social determinant that has the most negative impact on your population’s health and the social determinant that has the most positive impact on your population’s health.
- What action or actions would you take to improve the social determinant that has the most negative impact?
This is an excellent opportunity for you to initiate the use of innovative thinking through descriptive analysis.
Part 2: Discussion Question
Respond to the following discussion question from Jonas and Kovner’s Health Care Delivery in the United States:
The Commission to Build a Healthier America found that non-Hispanic Whites were more likely to be in very good or excellent health than were other groups nationally and in almost every state. In addition, non-Hispanic Whites had better health status than adults in any other racial or ethnic group at every level of education, but all groups showed a gradient in health by educational level. What are some of the determinants that are likely contributing to this disparity in health between non-Hispanic Whites and other groups after controlling for different educational levels? (Knickman & Kovner, 2015, p. 120)
Length: 2-3 pages (both parts), not including title and reference pages
References: Include a minimum of 1 scholarly resource or government website