The Association between Social Determinants of Health, Risk Factors, Job Performance and Healthcare Costs in an Employed Population.

Abstract

To compare employees of a US school district based on their social determinants of health (SDoH). Employees (N = 5006) were categorized into low, medium, or high need SDoH tiers. Of them, N = 2469 also participated in a health risk appraisal in 2019. Subjects' average healthcare costs, health risk factors, and self-rated job performance were compared by SDoH tier and race. Significant differences were observed among the SDoH comparison groups regarding age, gender, race, and marital status. SDoH was associated with health care costs, number of health risk factors, and self-rated job performance differently for Black and White employees. SDoH are complex and multi-faceted. Black employees in the high need SDoH group had higher average healthcare costs, lower self-rated job performance, and more average health risk factors than subjects in the lower need tiers.