Public Health Law

The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels. (WHO)

Social determinants arguably play the largest role in determining the public's health. Our public health is determined by the policies and practices in place in our homes, our schools, our workplaces, and our communities. Many of these determinants are difficult, if not altogether impossible, to control, such as economic standing, genetic predispositions or proclivities, and the customs, traditions, norms, and attitudes of the community in which we are raised. By developing those policies that have a wide-reaching impact and improve both social and economic aspects of communities, social determinants of the public's health can have a positive impact, as well.