The circumstances of where and how you are born, grow up, live, work  and grow old shape your health, just as your genes and lifestyle do. The growing field of "social determinants of health" focuses on the impact of these socioeconomic factors on health. Education, politics, violence, income, access to health care, social support, culture, transportation, environmental hazards, physical living conditions and even racism are topics for policymakers, researchers and journalists to consider as they examine health and health disparities within communities, nations and the world.

UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH

Unnatural Causes: Is inequality making us sick?

A seven-part documentary series exploring racial and socioeconomic inequalities in health.

World Health Organization: Social Determinants of Health program

A compilation of news, research and WHO activities related to social determinants of health

University of California-San Francisco Center for Health and Community

An academic center linking social and behavioral sciences, epidemiology and health policy for USCF's four professional health schools.

PUBLIC POLICY

National Institutes for Health National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities
The Institutes' program for promoting minority health and reducing health disparities.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Designing and Building Healthy Places
Information and resources on designing and building healthier communities.

STUDIES AND STATISTICS

Human Impact Partners
This Oakland-based organization provides lists of studies related to social determinants of health as well as tools communities can use to assess the impacts of development on health.  

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
This think tank for minority issues has launched a national initiative called "Place Matters" to eliminate health disparities. Its website offers a rich repository of reports, statistics and studies.

U.S. Census Bureau
Offers free demographic data for media coverage of social determinants of health issues. Our primary source for getting age breakdowns by ZIP code was the 2000 U.S. Census.

Nielsen Claritas
Demographic research firm offers detailed, fee-based demographic data used by journalists and marketers.

ADVOCACY AND PHILANTHROPY

The California Endowment: Building Healthy Communities
Philanthropic community development initiative to improve health of 14 California communities, which begins this spring. (Disclosure: The California Endowment funds ReportingonHealth.)

Policy Link
National organization advocating for public policies to reduce health disparities and other social inequities.

The Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative

Coalition of California local health departments working on health inequity issues.