The World Health Organisation defines the social determinants of health as ‘the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age.’

These conditions are defined by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels. 

The most common social determinants of health include:

• employment
• housing
• education
• socio-economic status
• access to and quality of food
• gender
• health and social services.

It is important to understand that social determinants of health can have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of the person and impact on the capacity of a care coordinator to help achieve good health outcomes.