Social Determinants of Health

Social detriments of health affect individuals, groups, and communities in varying ways because they are the conditions in which people are born into and affect their ability to live, work, grow, play, and flourish. These conditions can have negative implications for an individual’s health. Social detriments of health can cause an individual to become chronically stressed due to working conditions, substandard housing, transportation, and a lack of green space. When someone is chronically stressed, cortisol is continuously pumped throughout the body which can cause hypertension, a decrease in pre-frontal cortex functions, and exhaustion. Social detriments of health can also have an impact on someone’s mental health and their situation can possibly lead to major depression disorder. When someone is clinically depressed it can decrease the size of their frontal lobes and hippocampus and lead to a loss of serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. It is our responsibility as healthcare workers to be aware of these disparities in the community.

I am extremely grateful to be a student in the UTHSC OT program because I think our service/professional requirements facilitate our preparedness as OT practitioners by giving us opportunities to immerse ourselves in different experiences. By completing service hours, we are able to engage in community events and projects which allow us to interact with a diverse group of individuals. Our professional development hours prepare us to be OT practitioners by teaching us how to be competent, respectful, and engaging.