Teaching Social Determinants of Health as the World Burns Down: Strategies Learned From Teaching in a Pandemic

Abstract

Social determinants of health (SDOH), or the conditions in which people are born, live, learn, work, and age, influence health behavior and health outcomes. Often, in health education and behavior literature, emphasis is placed on individual behavior. However, scholars are beginning to move more upstream and incorporate SDOH frameworks into public health research. Thus, teaching SDOH is necessary for the next generation of public health scholars. In the COVID-19 pandemic era, SDOH are more prominent than ever as we educate and advocate to increase health equity. We present four strategies on teaching SDOH to master-level candidates in a virtual “Zoom-fatigue” environment during high-profile world events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, racialized police violence, and a contested election.