Understanding Social Determinants of Health with Greater Precision

BACKGROUND

Among health practitioners and policymakers, there’s a growing consensus that the social determinants of health — factors like access to healthy food, education, reliable transportation, a safe neighborhood, friendships — contribute to an individual’s health outcomes. But which social determinants matter the most?  For example, is having a strong social network a bigger predictor of good health than having access to fresh food?  And is that true for all people? Or does the relative weighting of factors change across different populations? IC² researchers have set out to address this knowledge gap by developing a precision-oriented methodology for evaluating social determinants of health (SDoH).

PROJECT SCOPE

The IC² researchers narrowed their study to a single diagnostic health code: major depressive disorder. The team investigates how select identity characteristics moderate the role of several SHoH domains on that diagnosis. The researchers laid out three primary questions:

1. To what degree, if at all, do demographic characteristics predict risk of depression?
2. To what degree, if at all, do social determinants of health factors predict risk of depression?
3. How do specific demographic factors moderate the role of these social determinants of health on the risk of depression?

METHODS

The study considers an analytical sample of 86, 954 participants from All of Us, a large health data collection program sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Using correlational moderation analysis, the researchers were able to identify specific contexts in which the selected SDoHs have a more pronounced relationship with MDD.

PROJECT UPDATES

The team’s findings were recently published in PLOS Mental Health.

More work will follow: The researchers are currently working with additional combinations of health conditions, social determinants, and demographic factors to refine their modeling techniques and expand their understanding of social determinants and the nuanced interplay of SDoH factors among different segments of society. The ultimate goal for the IC² Institute is to use these modeling techniques to develop decision-making tools for community partners.

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UT Researchers Develop Methodology for Understanding Social Determinants of Health with Greater Precision