Social Determinants of Health-Related Competencies for the Health Workforce

The social determinants of health (SDoH)—the set of circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age—impact the health and well-being of individuals and populations. SDoH contribute to 45–60 percent of the difference in health status among different populations.

To help bridge the gap between agreement on the overall importance of these competencies and lack of consensus on specific competencies and approaches, the Local Health System Strengthening Project (LHSS) developed this brief on their relevance and importance, including examples of how providers with SDoH-related competencies can impact key health service areas. The brief includes a set of suggested competencies developed in collaboration with a diverse group of stakeholders from around the world who identified them as essential for the health workforce.