Social determinants of health—where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age—have a major impact on people’s health, well-being, and quality of life, according to Healthy People 2030. Examples include safe housing, transportation, and neighborhoods; education, job opportunities, and income; and access to nutritious foods and physical activity opportunities. These factors also contribute to disparities—reflected, for example, in higher suicide rates for military veterans, reduced access to care in rural areas, higher rates of heart disease for Black Americans, and increased complications from diabetes in Hispanic populations.
Our Work
AIR experts understand that unmet health-related social needs, such as housing, food insecurity, and transportation, undermine the health of people and communities. We work with stakeholders across the healthcare system to identify and address health disparities.
For example, AIR assists the National Institutes of Health with the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) Coordination and Data Collection Center (CDCC) in an effort to reduce disparities for populations disproportionately affected by the COVID pandemic. AIR researchers also support the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in improving the utility of the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, including conducting an environmental scan of publicly available databases of state policies related to social determinants of health as a resource for researchers.