552.610.84
The Social Determinants of Health

Location
Internet
Term
Summer Term
Department
Extradepartmental
Credit(s)
0.5
Academic Year
2024 - 2025
Instruction Method
Asynchronous Online
Auditors Allowed
No
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Contact Name
Course Facilitator
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Description
Provides an overview of social, political, and economic influences on health and their role in producing health inequalities within and among populations. Emphasizes key axes of inequality: gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Explains conceptual foundations for social determinants of health and health inequalities. Summarizes evidence linking selected social, political, and economic factors to health and the pathways by which they influence health. Highlights importance of understanding social determinants of health, despite challenges of designing interventions targeting social determinants.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Identify and define the primary social, political and economic factors that influence population health
  2. Describe the evidence linking these factors to health outcomes within and among populations
  3. Explain the ways that these factors lead to health inequalities within and among populations
  4. Explain what is meant by structural determinants of health, how they contribute to understanding population health, and why they can be difficult to target with interventions
  5. Describe the general pathways through which social, political and economic factors affect health outcomes
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
  • 20% Participation
  • 40% Interim
  • 40% Final
Enrollment Restriction
All MPH students
Instructor Consent
No consent required
Special Comments

Special Courseplus Note: Content for both August sections, .84 and .80, are combined and listed under Term 1, section .80 in Courseplus.