Social Determinants of Health and Health Outcomes Among Adults with Disabilities

Healthcare in the United States has traditionally focused extensively on the provision of medical care in a quest for better health outcomes. However, new and innovative approaches to achieving better outcomes have risen to the forefront. The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) serve as a more holistic approach to positively impact health outcomes, which focuses more broadly on social factors influencing health and well-being. SDOH are commonly defined as key non-medical factors that influence health and well-being. SDOH are conditions in the environment in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect health outcomes and risks, functioning, and quality of life (Spencer et al., 2016). These factors have the capacity to impact subsequent health outcomes experienced by individuals in either a positive or negative fashion. People with disabilities (PWD) continue to experience disparities in health outcomes and may greatly benefit from an increased focus on SDOH. This study utilized the National Core Indicators - Aging and Disabilities (NCI-AD) Adult Consumer Survey (ACS) to conduct retrospective secondary data analysis, while highlighting associations between key constructs of interest. A primary aim of this study is to investigate associations between select SDOH domains (neighborhood and physical environment; community and social context) and associated quality of life (QoL) and health outcomes for adults with disabilities. The results of hypothesis testing for the research question revealed that transportation, housing, safety, social integration, support systems, and community engagement satisfaction predict quality of life and health among individuals with all types of disabilities after controlling for personal factors. This study contributes to advancement of the knowledge base within the field of Disability Studies. It is important to understand these factors in order to maximize health outcomes and service provision for PWD. This study is also unique in that it offers novel insights into the prevalence and impact of SDOH factors specific to PWD.