Health Systems Archive

By Austin Frakt In late June, Public Agenda published a report on perspectives of low-income parents on pediatric screening for social determinants of health. A key conclusion suggests a substantial challenge. One of the report’s conclusions is: The low-income parents in our focus groups understood their children were affected by the social determinants of health for which Continue reading [...]

By Austin Frakt Social determinants of health comes up frequently in health policy news. Here are quotes from six stories that caught my eye over the last few months. 1. Google’s life-extension spinoff teamed up with Ancestry to study 54 million family trees — and learned that a surprising factor helps determine how long we live, Continue reading [...]

By Kate Raphael There’s a lot of evidence that social determinants of health are especially important in the early years of life. Experiences, resources, and opportunities available during childhood can influence health in ways that persist through adulthood. For these reasons, it’s especially important to evaluate the effectiveness of Early Childhood Programs, those interventions targeted Continue reading [...]

By Kate Raphael Housing significantly affects health. In our homes, we experience the intersection of many health-related factors, and when we spend so much time in this environment, the cumulative effects of where we live can have long-term health consequences. A growing body of literature documents many of these links between housing and health, but the Continue reading [...]

By Austin Frakt The following is an interview with Paula M. Lantz, PhD, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, James B. Hudak Professor of Health Policy, Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan. Dr. Lantz is also a member of the Drivers of Health project advisory committee. This is the third post in a series of Continue reading [...]

By Austin Frakt For low-income renters and residents in the U.S., access to affordable housing has strong ties to health care spending. People faced with high rent and housing costs often forego preventive care in an effort to lessen their already significant financial burdens. For these individuals, avoiding necessary treatment can lead to catastrophic spending on Continue reading [...]

By Austin Frakt The second in a series of posts providing insights from our advisory committee members, the following is a brief interview with Heather Howard, J.D., Lecturer in Public Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University. Howard is also a Faculty Affiliate at the Center for Health & Wellbeing, Princeton University, Continue reading [...]

This is a guest post by Lynn Todman, PhD, the executive director for population health at Spectrum Health Lakeland in St. Joseph, Michigan, where she also serves on the City Commission. She is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leadership Fellow.  Asking recently in the New York Times, “Does Your Education Level Affect Your Health?” Austin Frakt Continue reading [...]

By Austin Frakt Education is strongly associated with health outcomes, but the pathways between them are less clear. Though there’s a lot we don’t know about the relationship, careful study has teased out some explanations. Causality runs in both directions. Education can provide the skills to tackle complex problems and manage health, while, on the other hand, Continue reading [...]

The following is a brief interview with David R. Nerenz, Ph.D., Director Emeritus, Center for Health Policy and Health Services Research, Vice-Chair for Research, Department of Neurosurgery, Henry Ford Health System. Dr. Nerenz serves on the Drivers of Health advisory committee. This is the first in a series of posts providing insights from our advisory committee Continue reading [...]