Social Determinants of Health Midterm 1 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
What are social determinants of health? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Economic and social conditions
that shape the health of individuals, communities, and jurisdictions as a whole.
Since a social determinants of health approach sees the mainsprings of health as being how a society
organizes and distributes economic and social resources, it directs attention to ________ and ______
policies as a means of improving it. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Economic
Social
It has been known since the mid-19th century that __________ __________ are the primary
determinants of health. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Living conditions
True/false. Material and social circumstances to which people in developed nations such as Canada are
exposed to in their homes, workplaces, and communities are far more important to their health than so-
called "lifestyle choices" ie. using tobacco or alcohol, partaking in physical activity. - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅True
What is the problem with current governmental and public health activities focused on promoting
health? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Instead of efforts to improve Canadian's living conditions,
individualized approaches focus on biomedical and behavioural risk factors. When living conditions are
considered it is usually to identify those Canadians whose living conditions are said to put them at risk
for making "unhealthy lifestyle choices" (health behaviours that are less important determinants of
health) rather that urging governmental authorities to improve their living circumstances (a primary
determinant of health).
True/false. Surveys show that Canadians have good awareness of the important role that living
conditions play in determining health. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅False. They have little awareness of
this.
What three factors did English political economist Friedrich Engels discover were the primary
contributors to social class differences in health? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Material living
conditions, day to day stress, and the adoption of health threatening behaviours.
,What did Rudolf Virchow identify in relation to health? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅How health-
threatening living conditions were rooted in public policy-making and emphasized the role that politics
played in promoting health and preventing disease.
What 2 UK reports sparked interest in how social conditions shape health? What is the significance of
these studies? What did they describe? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. Black Report (1980); Health
Divide (1992)
2. Stimulated the study of health inequalities, the factors that determine them, and how public policy
can increase or reduce them.
3. Lowest employment-level groups showed a greater likelihood of suffering from a wide range of
diseases and dying prematurely from illness or injury at every stage of the life cycle.
Professionals have the best health, followed by skilled workers, and manual labourers the worst.
In 1974 the federal government's A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians identified what 4
factors as determinants of health? What was the significance of this document? - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅1. Human biology, environment, lifestyle, and health care organization.
2. It outlined determinants of health outside of the health care system.
The Canadian government document Achieving Health for All: A Framework for Health Promotion
outlined what? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Reducing inequities between income groups as an
important goal of government policy.
In its Action Statement for Health Promotion in Canada, the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA)
identified what as the single best strategy to affect the determinants of health? - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅Advocating for healthy public policies.
The study of the social determinants of health deals with what 2 key problems? - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅1. What are the societal factors (ie. income, education, employment conditions) that
shape health and and help explain health inequalities.
2. What are the societal forces (ie. economic, social, political) that shape the quality of these societal
factors?
, In what publishing did the term "social determinants of health" make its debut? What is the name of the
man who fleshed out the environmental determinants of health in this report? - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅Health and Social Organization: Towards a Health Policy for the 21st Century
Tarlov
What 4 criteria were used to identify the 23 key social determinants of health especially relevant to
Canadians (developed at the York University Social Determinants of Health across the Lifespan
conference)? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. All these social determinants of health (SDH) are
important to the health of Canadians.
2. All these SDH are understandable to Canadians.
3. All these SDH have clear policy relevance to Canadians decision makers and citizens.
4. All these SDH are especially timely and relevant.
(pg. 7)
What were 3 outcomes of the Social Determinants of Health Across the Lifespan conference at York
University? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. 1st edition of Social Determinants of Health: Canadian
Perspectives (the textbook)
2. Drafting and ratification of the Toronto Charter on the Social Determinants of Health
3. Establishment of a "Social Determinants of Health" listserv
What are the 12 social determinants of health identified by the organizers of the York University
conference? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Aboriginal status, early life, education, employment and
working conditions, food security, gender, health care services, housing, income and its distribution,
social safety net, social exclusion, unemployment and employment security.
The health of Canadians has improved since 1900. What factors do Canadians believe are responsible for
this? What factor do most analysts conclude is largely accountable? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1.
- Improved health care (only 10-15% of increased longevity since 1900 is due to improved health care)
- Development of vaccines and medical treatments (but by the time these were developed dramatic
declines in mortality had already occurred)
- Improvements in behaviour (ie. smoking, diet)
2.
ANSWERS
What are social determinants of health? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Economic and social conditions
that shape the health of individuals, communities, and jurisdictions as a whole.
Since a social determinants of health approach sees the mainsprings of health as being how a society
organizes and distributes economic and social resources, it directs attention to ________ and ______
policies as a means of improving it. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Economic
Social
It has been known since the mid-19th century that __________ __________ are the primary
determinants of health. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Living conditions
True/false. Material and social circumstances to which people in developed nations such as Canada are
exposed to in their homes, workplaces, and communities are far more important to their health than so-
called "lifestyle choices" ie. using tobacco or alcohol, partaking in physical activity. - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅True
What is the problem with current governmental and public health activities focused on promoting
health? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Instead of efforts to improve Canadian's living conditions,
individualized approaches focus on biomedical and behavioural risk factors. When living conditions are
considered it is usually to identify those Canadians whose living conditions are said to put them at risk
for making "unhealthy lifestyle choices" (health behaviours that are less important determinants of
health) rather that urging governmental authorities to improve their living circumstances (a primary
determinant of health).
True/false. Surveys show that Canadians have good awareness of the important role that living
conditions play in determining health. - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅False. They have little awareness of
this.
What three factors did English political economist Friedrich Engels discover were the primary
contributors to social class differences in health? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Material living
conditions, day to day stress, and the adoption of health threatening behaviours.
,What did Rudolf Virchow identify in relation to health? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅How health-
threatening living conditions were rooted in public policy-making and emphasized the role that politics
played in promoting health and preventing disease.
What 2 UK reports sparked interest in how social conditions shape health? What is the significance of
these studies? What did they describe? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. Black Report (1980); Health
Divide (1992)
2. Stimulated the study of health inequalities, the factors that determine them, and how public policy
can increase or reduce them.
3. Lowest employment-level groups showed a greater likelihood of suffering from a wide range of
diseases and dying prematurely from illness or injury at every stage of the life cycle.
Professionals have the best health, followed by skilled workers, and manual labourers the worst.
In 1974 the federal government's A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians identified what 4
factors as determinants of health? What was the significance of this document? - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅1. Human biology, environment, lifestyle, and health care organization.
2. It outlined determinants of health outside of the health care system.
The Canadian government document Achieving Health for All: A Framework for Health Promotion
outlined what? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Reducing inequities between income groups as an
important goal of government policy.
In its Action Statement for Health Promotion in Canada, the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA)
identified what as the single best strategy to affect the determinants of health? - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅Advocating for healthy public policies.
The study of the social determinants of health deals with what 2 key problems? - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅1. What are the societal factors (ie. income, education, employment conditions) that
shape health and and help explain health inequalities.
2. What are the societal forces (ie. economic, social, political) that shape the quality of these societal
factors?
, In what publishing did the term "social determinants of health" make its debut? What is the name of the
man who fleshed out the environmental determinants of health in this report? - CORRECT
ANSWER✅✅✅Health and Social Organization: Towards a Health Policy for the 21st Century
Tarlov
What 4 criteria were used to identify the 23 key social determinants of health especially relevant to
Canadians (developed at the York University Social Determinants of Health across the Lifespan
conference)? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. All these social determinants of health (SDH) are
important to the health of Canadians.
2. All these SDH are understandable to Canadians.
3. All these SDH have clear policy relevance to Canadians decision makers and citizens.
4. All these SDH are especially timely and relevant.
(pg. 7)
What were 3 outcomes of the Social Determinants of Health Across the Lifespan conference at York
University? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1. 1st edition of Social Determinants of Health: Canadian
Perspectives (the textbook)
2. Drafting and ratification of the Toronto Charter on the Social Determinants of Health
3. Establishment of a "Social Determinants of Health" listserv
What are the 12 social determinants of health identified by the organizers of the York University
conference? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅Aboriginal status, early life, education, employment and
working conditions, food security, gender, health care services, housing, income and its distribution,
social safety net, social exclusion, unemployment and employment security.
The health of Canadians has improved since 1900. What factors do Canadians believe are responsible for
this? What factor do most analysts conclude is largely accountable? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅✅1.
- Improved health care (only 10-15% of increased longevity since 1900 is due to improved health care)
- Development of vaccines and medical treatments (but by the time these were developed dramatic
declines in mortality had already occurred)
- Improvements in behaviour (ie. smoking, diet)
2.
