The CDC Foundation’s Health and Well-Being for All Meeting-in-a-Box

Abstract

The conditions in which people live, work, play, and age—the social determinants of health (SDOH)—have an impact on their health outcomes and behavior, sense of security, and patterns of community engagement. To encourage training and education related to the health effects of the SDOH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Foundation created the Health and Well-Being for All meeting-in-a-box resource. This online resource acts as a guide for group collaboration and education related to understanding SDOH effects on health and practicing methods for addressing those effects at the community level, and can be used with a variety of groups, including community coalitions, health education students, and medical professionals. Three case study–based modules—asthma, obesity, and gang violence—lead participants through a six-step process of activities that address the SDOH in context, identifies opportunities and threats, and provides practice in developing collaborations and enacting change in the community. Despite some potential limitations with length and group dynamics, the experience of evaluating a health condition through the lens of the SDOH can encourage holistic views of health and increase attention to the upstream causes of negative health outcomes.