Michigan Minds Podcast: Addressing Health Disparities through Health Policy Research

Social determinants of health (SDoH) are a driving factor in health disparities, especially those faced by marginalized and rural populations. In the latest episode of the Michigan Minds Podcast, University of Michigan professor Paula Lantz, PhD talks about SDoH, birth rates, and how public policies can be used to address health disparities on the population level.

According to the podcast, “In an opinion piece titled ‘The social determinants of declining birth rates: Implications for public policy and population health,’ Lantz explains that the same social factors or social determinants that drive population health outcomes—like mortality, life expectancy, rates of illness, and injury—are also what drives birth rates within a population. For the past several years, she notes, researchers have been seeing a declining birth rate in the United States, meaning that the average number of children people have is declining, and also that more people are choosing not to have children at all.”

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(Source: University of Michigan Public Engagement and Impact, March 13^th, 2023)