The Impact of Social Determinants of Health on Health Equity and Their Root Causes

Health equity can be defined as the attainment of the highest level of health for all people. This means that all people have the opportunity to attain their full health potential and are not disadvantaged due to their social position or other socioeconomic circumstance.1 Health inequities, on the other hand, are unfair and avoidable differences in health status that result from unjust policies, discriminatory social norms that exclude certain groups of people, and inequitable distribution of money, power, and resources that lead to poorer socioeconomic conditions.