NCIPH launches pilot of new tool to map social determinants of health
Jan. 18, 2017
Mapping social determinants of health.
Social determinants of health: a big phrase describing the daily fabric of your life. Your place of residence, mode of play, workplace, and worship habits may not seem health-related, but in fact these “upstream” factors not only influence overall quality of life, but also have a significant influence on population health outcomes.
This fall, the North Carolina Institute for Public Health partnered with Carolinas HealthCare System to conduct a Community Health Improvement Plan study to examine the social determinants of health within the healthcare system’s primary service region. Based in Charlotte NC, Carolinas HealthCare System is one of the largest healthcare organizations in the Southeast with more than 900 care locations in North Carolina and South Carolina. The ultimate goal of this study is to provide seamless access to coordinated, high quality healthcare that is closer to where patients live.
For this study, the NCIPH technical assistance staff developed an interactive online map of social determinants of health at the neighborhood level for a 10-county service region. The NCIPH team mapped twelve social determinants of health indicators within three domains (social & neighborhood, economic, and housing & transportation). Data was collected from the American Community Survey five-year estimates and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and mapped using the ESRI Story Map platform. To display neighborhoods in the service area with the highest disparities among the social determinants of health, the NCIPH team created an index by standardizing and averaging all of the indicators within each of the three domains to create an overall z-score. The result is an interactive web map for Carolinas HealthCare System to use to inform program planning for each of their facilities. More information about this project will be presented at the upcoming January 2017 State Health Directors Conference in Raleigh.
