Health Equity in Utah

Health is needed for functioning in every aspect of life. A prosperous economy needs healthy and productive individuals. The resources needed to be healthy include not only access to health care services but also health-promoting living and working conditions.

Pursuing health equity means striving for the highest possible standard of health for all people and giving attention to the needs of those communities at greatest risk for health disparities.

Communities can experience health disparities based on socio-economic status, geographic location, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, ability, gender and sexual orientation.

Health Equity Toolbox

Understanding health equity:
- Health equity terminology:
  - Glossary
- Health equity in context:

Health Equity Glossary

The principle underlying the commitment to reduce and ultimately, eliminate health disparities by addressing its drivers.

Pursuing health equity means striving for the highest possible standard of health for all people and giving special attention to the needs of those communities at greatest risk for health disparities.

Communities can experience health disparities based on socio-economic status, geographic location, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, ability, gender, and sexual orientation.

Health-related social needs are an individual’s unmet, adverse social conditions that contribute to poor health. The five core domains include: housing instability, food insecurity, lack of transportation, utility help needs, and interpersonal safety. The eight supplemental domains include: financial strain, employment, family and community support, education, physical activity, substance use, mental health, and disabilities. This term is commonly used in healthcare settings.

Social drivers of health (SDoH), also known as social determinants of health, are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, including the health system. Examples of social drivers include access to healthcare services, transportation options, and availability of resources to meet daily needs (e.g., safe housing and local food markets).

Determinants suggest nothing can be done to change our health fate. By shifting from determinants to social drivers of health, we can reframe the conversation about health. Social factors do not force health to be fated or destined, but instead are something people and communities can overcome or change¹. This term is commonly used in public health settings. Examples of social drivers include:

Availability of resources to meet daily needs (e.g., safe housing and local food markets)
Access to educational, economic, and job opportunities
Access to health care services
Quality of education and job training
Availability of community-based resources in support of community living and opportunities for recreational and leisure-time activities
Transportation options
Public safety
Social support
Social norms and attitudes
Exposure to crime, violence, and social disorder
Socioeconomic conditions (e.g., concentrated poverty and the stressful conditions that accompany it)
Language/literacy
Access to mass media and emerging technologies (e.g., cell phones, the internet, and social media)
Culture

¹ Elevance Health, Social Drivers vs Social Determinants of Health: Unstacking the Deck. Retrieved on November 16, 2023 from ElevanceHealth.com