What term describes the non-medical factors including policy, economics, and social norms?

• A. Clinical determinants
• B. Social determinants of health
• C. Genetic factors
• D. Lifestyle choices

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is that health is shaped by social determinants of health—the non-medical factors like policy, economics, and social norms that create the conditions in which people live. These determinants influence access to resources, opportunities, and environments that affect health outcomes, such as income, education, housing, neighborhood safety, workplaces, and the policies that govern these areas. They help explain why two people with similar biology can have very different health prospects because their social and economic contexts differ.

This term is distinct from clinical determinants, which are about medical care and clinical factors; genetic factors, which are hereditary; and lifestyle choices, which refer to individual behaviors. While personal behaviors matter, the social determinants framework emphasizes the broader societal and structural factors that shape those behaviors and overall health.