Gender Differences in Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health in Aging Adults.

Abstract

Adverse social determinants of health (SDOH) are associated with poor health.1 Cumulative social risk factors, such as food insecurity and social isolation, have a higher correlation with poor health outcomes than single social risk factors.2 New health policy incentives encourage implementation of social and behavioral risk screening and referral models into health care delivery.3 Understanding patient variation in facing adverse SDOH will allow policy makers and health care systems to prioritize screening for those most at risk, and develop targeted SDOH interventions. Women and men may have differing individual and cumulative social risk factors which is relevant when implementing social risk screening. The objective of this research was to examine gender differences in negative SDOH in adults as they age using nationally representative data.4