“From Assessment to Action: The Use and Abuse of Data to Promote Health Equity”
Introduction by Rachel Morello-Frosch
The “social determinants of health” include factors such as access to resources, environmental quality, and socioeconomic conditions. Academics, advocates, and policymakers increasingly focus on creating indicators of these health determinants to identify, target, and monitor disadvantaged populations. However, little is known about the extent to which such indicators have been leveraged to actually influence policies and interventions at the local, state, and national levels to promote health equity. I evaluate how different approaches to measuring the social determinants of health are used to explain and address unjust differences in health status between population groups. Using California as a case study, I examine whether indicators of the social determinants of health are being appropriately used to improve the health of disadvantaged communities. I concentrate on three key determinants of health that have received significant policy and regulatory attention in California and nationally: food access, housing quality, and climate change. I find that commonly used datasets are incomplete and inaccurate, and policies and programs could be more effective if they establish specific equity targets, incorporate local knowledge, and integrate cross-sector sources of data.
One of my best ESPM memories is the 9+ mile hike we did during the 2009 ESPM camping trip at Big Basin. It was a true ESPM experience; I learned about beetles, mushrooms, forest canopy structure, fire models, and indigenous land rights. Somewhat related is my worst ESPM memory, which is when I planned the 2010 ESPM camping trip and took everyone to Sugarloaf Ridge State Park when it was 100+ degrees. Sorry again about that.
I wouldn’t be here without the mentorship of Maggi Kelly, who welcomed me to ESPM in 2007 as a staff research associate and encouraged me to look beyond my focus on Geography programs and see all that ESPM has to offer. I’m also grateful to Rachel Morello-Frosch for being willing to work with me and for supporting and expanding my interdisciplinary interests.
I would especially like to thank my wife, Megan Lin, for consoling me after my many rejections (papers, grants, fellowships, etc.), for celebrating with me after my few awards and publications, and for working with me to create a more just future.