Non-medical factors that influence health outcomes are social determinants of health. They are the circumstances under which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, as well as the larger set of forces and systems that shape the conditions of daily life. These forces and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies, and political systems. The social determinants of health usually impact health inequities, which are unfair and preventable differences in health status observed within and between countries. In countries of all income levels, health and illness follow a social gradient: the lower the socioeconomic position, the worse the health.
