<P> The social determinants of health ( SDOH ) are the economic and social conditions and their distribution among the population that influence individual and group differences in health status . They are health promoting factors found in one 's living and working conditions ( such as the distribution of income , wealth , influence , and power ) , rather than individual risk factors ( such as behavioural risk factors or genetics ) that influence the risk for a disease , or vulnerability to disease or injury . According to some viewpoints , the distributions of social determinants are shaped by public policies that reflect the influence of prevailing political ideologies of those governing a jurisdiction . The World Health Organization says , `` This unequal distribution of health - damaging experiences is not in any sense a ' natural ' phenomenon but is the result of a toxic combination of poor social policies , unfair economic arrangements ( where the already well - off and healthy become even richer and the poor who are already more likely to be ill become even poorer ) , and bad politics . '' </P>
what are some of the political and social forces that shape the social determinants of health
distribution of income wealth influence power