Teaching the Social Determinants of Health: How Can We Engage Students Pursuing Health-related Careers?

• In Event: 3423 - Teaching and Learning Symposium Roundtable
  In Informal Discussion Roundtable: Table 7: Teaching the Sociology of Environment and Health

Abstract

The social determinants of health have received increasing attention from outside of sociology, including in such fields as medicine, nursing, and public health. How can sociologists engage students in the health professions, as more emphasis is placed on having knowledge about how social factors and social environment influence health outcomes? The objective of this informal discussion is to provide and share strategies for teaching social determinants of health to students in the health-related professions, or students interested in pursuing a post-graduate degree in a health professional field.

Because students may not have any background (or, for that matter, much initial interest) in sociological perspectives on health, the main learning objective of this discussion will be to establish the relevance of social determinants for students’ intended careers in health-related fields. As a result, students will have a foundation in key sociological concepts that are beneficial for clinical practice. The “upstream” metaphor will be described as an example that can spark interest in the importance of social factors. From that metaphor, demographic changes (notably, population aging and increasing racial/ethnic diversity in the US) and disease management (using cultural and social context to understand health behavior) will provide more specific reasons for relevance. Establishing the significance of social factors presents multiple opportunities for illustrating key sociological concepts (such as medicalization, the illness experience, and intersectionality).

This discussion will be useful to participants who teach pre-health students at the undergraduate level, or who teach students in nursing schools, medical schools, or schools of public health. More broadly, it will also be of interest to sociologists who hope to become more engaged with health professions education, to help train the next generation of health practitioners with clinically-relevant knowledge in the social bases of health.

Author

• Eric R. Van Rite, American Institutes for Research