Social determinants of health (SDOH) research at NINR is guided by the NIH's conceptualization, wherein SDOH are the conditions in which people are born, grow, learn, work, play, live, and age, and the broader set of structural factors shaping the conditions of daily life. Research in this area seeks to protect or improve health by focusing on SDOH, explicitly emphasizing factors beyond healthcare that can affect health.
Research developed using this lens examines causal pathways and mechanisms by which SDOH positively or negatively influences health. Also of importance is intervention research that develops and implements strategies to address SDOH and research to evaluate existing or upcoming interventions (e.g., policies, programs, environmental changes) to understand their health impact.
Research developed using this lens may also include studies that focus on social risks and protective factors, the downstream effects of SDOH, but not SDOH themselves. Social risks and protective factors are adverse or beneficial individual- or interpersonal-level social and economic circumstances. Social needs or health-related social needs are the specific social risks that an individual or provider prioritizes for assistance in the context of healthcare.
Of particular interest is research that emphasizes action on SDOH, specifically studies that assess interventions or examine how changes in social and structural factors influence health.