The aspects of life that influence a person’s health, including their likelihood of engaging in risky behavior such as substance use, are numerous and varied. They range from immediate, personal characteristics to overarching societal trends and conditions. The social determinants of health are these larger social or environmental aspects that influence individuals, such as the economic status of the neighborhoods, access to quality health care services, and the prevalence of discrimination. Due to their widescale impacts, addressing these determinants should be a key part of a comprehensive approach to prevention. Prevention professionals can implement environmental strategies in collaboration with other public health stakeholders to help address these determinants. This three-part webinar series will overview the social determinants of health, their influence substance use risk, and recommendations on how to address them through environmental strategies.
The webinar will describe how to pursue a public health approach to prevention. Through this, it will provide recommendations on how to address the social determinants of health. The webinar will introduce the concept of environmental strategies, describe how they function, and discuss their ability to expand the reach of prevention services. By using environmental strategies, prevention professionals can begin to address the determinants that influence substance use risk.
By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to: