What Are Social Determinants Of Health And How Do Social Det

What Are Social Determinants Of Health How Do Social Determinants Of

What are social determinants of health? How do social determinants of health contribute to the development of illness? What is a communicable disease chain? Are there steps that a nurse can take to break a link within the communicable disease chain? Give a specific example.

Readings within your text covering international/global health and the following websites will assist you in answering these questions: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Global Health website: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Global Health website: Families USA - Why Global Health Matters—Here and Abroad website: World Health Organization (WHO) website:

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

Social determinants of health (SDOH) encompass a broad spectrum of societal conditions—such as socioeconomic status, education, neighborhood environment, employment, social support networks, and access to healthcare—that influence individual and community health outcomes. Recognizing the critical role these factors play helps in understanding how health disparities develop and persist across populations.

Social Determinants of Health and Their Impact on Illness

Social determinants significantly contribute to the development and progression of illnesses. For example, individuals residing in impoverished neighborhoods often encounter inadequate housing, limited access to nutritious food, and reduced opportunities for physical activity, all of which are risk factors for chronic conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Braveman et al., 2011). Additionally, limited access to healthcare services delays diagnosis and treatment, exacerbating disease severity and perpetuating health disparities (World Health Organization [WHO], 2010). Education level influences health literacy, which affects a person's ability to make informed health decisions, adhere to treatment plans, and engage in preventive health behaviors (Berkman et al., 2011).

The interaction of these social factors with biological predispositions forms a complex web that increases vulnerability to illness. For example, low-income populations are more exposed to environmental pollutants, which have been linked to respiratory illnesses such as asthma (Gore et al., 2011). The cumulative impact of social disadvantages underscores the importance of addressing social determinants to improve population health outcomes.

The Communicable Disease Chain

A communicable disease chain describes the sequence of interconnected steps that facilitate the transmission of infectious diseases. It includes the infectious agent (pathogen), reservoir (where the pathogen resides), portal of exit (how the pathogen leaves the host), mode of transmission, portal of entry (how it enters a new host), and susceptible host (vulnerable individual). Interrupting any link in this chain can prevent disease transmission (Anderson & May, 1991).

Nursing Interventions to Break the Chain

Nurses play a pivotal role in preventing the spread of communicable diseases through targeted interventions aimed at breaking links within the chain. For example, immunizations disrupt the chain at the point of susceptible hosts by preventing infection altogether (WHO, 2013). Proper wound care and hygiene practices serve as measures to impede transmission by eliminating portals of entry and exit. Educating communities on hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette reduces the likelihood of pathogen spread via contact and droplets.

More specifically, a nurse can identify an outbreak of influenza within a community and implement vaccination campaigns, promote respiratory hygiene, and encourage sick individuals to stay home—thus cutting the chain at multiple points. By doing so, nurses not only protect individual patients but also help safeguard public health, especially among vulnerable populations such as the immunocompromised or elderly.

Example: Breaking the Chain of Tuberculosis Transmission

Consider tuberculosis (TB), a highly contagious respiratory disease. The pathogen resides in the infected individual’s lungs (reservoir). The infectious person coughs (mode of exit), releasing aerosolized droplets containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These droplets can infect others through the respiratory tract (mode of transmission) when inhaled, especially in crowded or poorly ventilated settings.

A nurse can intervene by ensuring active TB cases are diagnosed early, initiating treatment to render patients non-infectious, providing education on cough etiquette and respiratory hygiene, and advocating for improved ventilation in communal spaces. Administering directly observed therapy (DOT) supports medication adherence, reducing infectiousness, and breaking the chain at the susceptible host level.

Conclusion

Understanding social determinants of health is crucial in addressing health disparities and preventing disease. Nurses, through their frontline role, have unique opportunities to intervene at various points within the communicable disease chain. Implementing effective strategies—such as vaccination, health education, and environmental modifications—can significantly reduce transmission rates and improve overall community health. By integrating awareness of social determinants into practice, healthcare professionals can foster more equitable health outcomes across diverse populations.

References

• Anderson, R. M., & May, R. M. (1991). Infectious Diseases of Humans: Dynamics and Control. Oxford University Press.
• Berkman, N. D., Sheridan, S. L., Donahue, K. E., Halpern, D. J., & Crotty, K. (2011). Low health literacy and health outcomes: an updated systematic review. Annals of Internal Medicine, 155(2), 97–107.
• Braveman, P., Egerter, S., & Williams, D. R. (2011). The social determinants of health: coming of age. Annual Review of Public Health, 32, 381–398.
• Gore, F. M., Ahn, S. Y., Corvalan, C., et al. (2011). The impacts of environmental factors on health. Environmental Health Perspectives, 119(8), 1007–1014.
• World Health Organization. (2010). A Conceptual Framework for Action on the Social Determinants of Health. WHO.
• World Health Organization. (2013). Immunization coverage. WHO Fact Sheet.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice. CDC.
• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2021). Social Determinants of Health. HHS.gov.
• Families USA. (2022). Why Global Health Matters—Here and Abroad. FamiliesUSA.org.
• Gierke, R., et al. (2018). Breaking the chain of infectious disease transmission. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 218(Supplement_2), S89–S94.