Social Determinants of Health
Children are at an even higher risk from environmental factors (social determinants of health) because they are completely reliant on others.
Access to affordable food
Experiencing challenges with one or two social determinants will not necessarily have an influence on family and child health, however, as the number of determinants negatively impacting a family increases, the risks also increase.
When discussing early childhood mental health, it is important to remember to look holistically at children and their families. It is easy to develop a limited perspective of a family based on the context in which we meet them. Please see the list of the social determinants of health below. The list provides some examples of factors that may have a positive or negative influence on a family and child.
Income and Social Status
Social Support Networks
Education and Literacy, i.e., health literacy
Employment / Working Conditions
Social Environments
Physical Environments
Personal Health Practices and Coping Skills
Healthy Child Development
Biology and Genetic Endowment
Health Services
Gender
