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Minnesotans Underestimate the Powerful Health Influence of Social Determinants--and Often Don't Acknowledge the Documented Impacts of Discrimination and Inequity
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(85 seconds)
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(OPEN):
MANY RESPONDENTS IN A NEWLY RELEASED POLL FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE EVERYDAY BARRIERS THAT NEGATIVELY AFFECT SOME
MINNESOTANS' WELL-BEING. SPECIFICALLY, ALMOST HALF DIDN'T IDENTIFY
"SAFE NEIGHBORHOODS", "A LIVING WAGE", OR "SAFE, AFFORDABLE
HOUSING" AS POSITIVE INFLUENCES OVER HEALTH. DOCTOR DAN TRAJANO
["TRAH-HAH-NO"] IS WITH THE "CENTER FOR
PREVENTION", AT "BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF
MINNESOTA"--WHICH COMMISSIONED THE POLL...
(TRAJANO):
"THESE ITEMS--ALONG WITH SEVERAL
OTHERS--ARE OFTEN REFERRED TO AS 'SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH': EVERYDAY FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE OUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, AND THAT ARE PRIMARILY OUT OF OUR CONTROL.
ADDRESSING THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH IS IMPORTANT--BECAUSE, AT 'BLUE
CROSS', WE REALIZE THAT THE MAJORITY OF HEALTH HAPPENS OUTSIDE THE
DOCTOR'S-OFFICE: 10-PERCENT OF HEALTH IS INFLUENCED BY CLINICAL CARE, AND ANOTHER 10-PERCENT BY GENETICS; THE REMAINING 80-PERCENT IS A RESULT OF PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTS, HEALTH-BEHAVIORS, AND SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS, LIKE INCOME, COMMUNITY-CONNECTIONS, HOUSING, QUALITY EDUCATION, AND FOOD-SECURITY.
THESE FACTORS DETERMINE THE HEALTH OF A COMMUNITY--ALONG WITH THE HEALTH-INEQUITIES [THAT] IT FACES.
ADDRESSING SOCIAL DETERMINANTS, AND REDUCING HEALTH-INEQUITIES, CREATE A STRONGER STATE, FOR ALL MINNESOTANS: LOWERING HEALTHCARE-COSTS, INCREASING COMMUNITY-VITALITY, AND MAKING US ALL HEALTHIER."
(CLOSE):
THE POLL CONSISTED OF 500 MINNESOTANS, AGES 18 AND
OVER--AND WAS CONDUCTED IN EARLY MARCH. TO LEARN MORE, VISIT "CENTER-FOR-PREVENTION-M-N"-DOT-COM.
