Using SDOH to Connect Employers with Resources and Improve Health and Well-Being
By Rahsaan Stampes, PLADS Product Strategy Lead, AFLAC
As employers look for ways to reduce healthcare costs and improve employee health and well-being, it is increasingly evident that addressing the social determinants of health (SDOH) must be part of the equation. SDOH are defined by the World Health Organization1 as the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These can include physical environment, education, financial hardship, access to healthy food options, quality healthcare coverage, and access to high-quality care. In many instances, SDOH can influence and affect a person’s mental health and overall well-being, which affect their work performance.
Positive SDOH factors — including economic stability, education, high-quality healthcare, a safe living environment, and a supportive social and community network — can help employees cope with depression, anxiety, and everyday stress. Employees who do not have easy access to these basic needs may suffer from increased rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health and well-being issues, including thoughts of suicide.2 And there has been an increase in suicide deaths across the U.S. For example, from 2021 to 2022, the suicide rate increased by 2.6%, and the highest number of deaths by suicide were recorded in 2022 since 2011.3
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