What term does the World Health Organization use for the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes?

What term does the World Health Organization use for the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes?

• A. Social determinants of health (SDH)
• B. Medical determinants
• C. Public health determinants
• D. Economic determinants

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is recognizing the broad, nonmedical factors that shape health outcomes as described by WHO. The term used is social determinants of health. This captures the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, plus the systems that shape daily life—everything from income and education to housing, neighborhood safety, access to healthcare, and social support. These factors influence health outcomes and contribute to health inequities, beyond biology or medical care alone. The other options don’t fit the WHO framing: focusing only on medical factors misses the social and economic context; economic determinants narrow the view to money and policy without the broader social conditions; “public health determinants” isn’t the standard WHO terminology.

The main idea here is recognizing the broad, nonmedical factors that shape health outcomes as described by WHO. The term used is social determinants of health. This captures the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, plus the systems that shape daily life—everything from income and education to housing, neighborhood safety, access to healthcare, and social support. These factors influence health outcomes and contribute to health inequities, beyond biology or medical care alone.

The other options don’t fit the WHO framing: focusing only on medical factors misses the social and economic context; economic determinants narrow the view to money and policy without the broader social conditions; “public health determinants” isn’t the standard WHO terminology.