International Quality of Life Month
Quality of Life at the Confluence of Social Determinants of Health and Health-Related Social Needs
International Quality of Life (QoL) Month shines a light on factors that directly influence our experience of life and the quality we perceive in it. Broadly speaking, QoL is a subjective evaluation of one’s life based on a combination of factors including but not limited to employment, finances, safety, physical and mental health, and more.
The term QoL is commonly used to reflect our understanding of the ways in which we live, the factors that contribute to it, and how we feel about it. Those factors represent a collective of discrete but interrelated dimensions that influence the quality of our health, known as the social determinants of health (SDoH).
Social Determinants of Health and Health-Related Social Needs
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defines SDoH as the “conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.”
Similarly, Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has identified six dimensions that make up the SDoH, which are presented in the infographic.
Additionally, health-related social needs (HRSNs) refer to individual-level, adverse social conditions that significantly affect health outcomes and may result from SDoH. HRSNs are more personal and individual and collectively affect an individual’s health trajectory in areas such as transportation, personal safety, affordable utilities, and access to nutritional food. Notably, while the terms SDoH and HRSN are often used interchangeably, they reflect different social ecological levels.
SDoH and Health Inequity
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines health equity as “…the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.” The CDC also states that improving health equity requires modifying the factors that disproportionately and adversely affect individual and community health and well-being.
As the World Health Organization (WHO) reports, SDoH are key drivers of health inequity, which it defines as: “…unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries.”
The WHO also says that mitigating health inequity is essential for enhancing outcomes and reducing persistent disparities. Worldwide recognition of SDoH and their potentially negative outcomes highlights the urgent need to improve QoL for many by targeting the SDoH and HSRNs that cause health inequities in the first place.
The Drive for Parity
KFF reported that increased awareness of these issues is promoting change, such as greater acuity into health disparities and their drivers. The report also noted that disparities stem from enduring structural and systemic inequalities grounded in both historical and contemporary racism and discrimination.
KFF also states that addressing SDoH is critical to improving health outcomes and reducing inequalities. While challenges remain, there are increased efforts underway that intend to address these foundational issues, inform policy and legislation, and create better practices and improved service models. For instance, KFF mentioned a recent survey of Medicaid managed care plans that found 91 percent of responding plans reported activities to address SDoH.
How Myers and Stauffer Can Help
Established in 1977, Myers and Stauffer is a nationally based consulting and certified public accounting (CPA) firm. For nearly 50 years, we have worked exclusively with local, state, and federal government health and human-services agencies to help them accomplish their most critical goals for the nation’s most fragile populations.
From delivery system and payment transformation to managed care to waivers and federal authorities and legislation and regulation, our teams have the depth and breadth of experience to help our clients improve outcomes for those most affected by these issues.
Backed by disciplined professionals who meet the highest ethical and compliance standards, we continue to forge meaningful partnerships with our clients, built on foundations of trust we have strived to earn through our history of strong performance and exacting execution. We help our clients meet their goals, one engagement at a time. At Myers and Stauffer, our mission is to support government-sponsored health and human-services programs to make systemic improvements that improve people’s overall QoL. We have built our entire professional practice around this mission, and the values that inspire them inform all we do on our clients’ behalf. Contact a member of our team today for more information. And look for more posts in the months ahead that take a deeper dive into SDoH and health equity.
Authors
| Julia Kotchevar, MA Director | Jackie George, MPH, CPH Health Care Senior Manager | Candince McDaniel Health Care Senior Manager |
