Examining Political Determinants of Health

January 19, 2023

Social determinants of health (SDoH), characteristics like race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographical location, and housing status, have been increasingly recognized as contributing to health outcomes. However, another set of factors affecting health outcomes are political determinants of health, policies that affect population health in a given community or locale.

According to Julie E. Lucero, MPH, PhD, “Historically, housing has been a source of systemic inequality. “Redlining,” which began in the 1930s, is a good example. The Federal Housing Administration, which was established in 1934, refused to insure mortgages in and near African-American neighborhoods, limiting the choices of Black and Brown families. As a result, communities of color were positioned in unhealthy housing and neighborhoods concentrated in areas of economic and educational disadvantage. The 1968 Fair Housing Act somewhat remedied the practice, but studies show that the legacy of redlining is still present today. As this policy originally intended, some neighborhoods remain segregated. Lack of investment by business and economic opportunities for families and individuals devalued properties and underfunded educational facilities. Formerly redlined areas still have fewer or no public transportation routes and options for healthy food.”

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