Climate Change as a Social Determinant of Health

Abstract

* Abbreviations: AAP — : American Academy of Pediatrics SDOH — : social determinant of health Social determinants of health (SDOHs), defined as the social circumstances in which people are born, grow, live, work, and play, profoundly affect children’s health and drive health disparities.1 SDOHs are shaped by the distribution of money, power, and resources at global, national, and local levels. The list of potential SDOHs is expansive and includes food insecurity, housing instability, violence exposure, structural racism, poverty, and immigration-related stressors. Addressing SDOHs within the pediatric medical home has garnered considerable interest lately as a potential solution to both improving health across the life course and mitigating health care costs.1 However, one critical determinant is missing from the pediatric community’s definition of SDOHs: climate change. Climate change (also called global warming) is arguably one of the greatest public health threats of our time. Climate change is caused by rising greenhouse gas emissions from human activity, resulting in higher global average temperatures and changes to environmental and human systems. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a policy statement in 2007 (revised in 2015) encouraging pediatricians to reduce carbon emissions and support families experiencing the effects of climate change.2 We agree with this call to action. However, given the current national focus of policymakers, funders, and health care systems on addressing SDOHs, along with the ubiquitous impact of the changing climate on the social and environmental circumstances in which children live, we recommend climate … Address correspondence to Maya I. Ragavan, MD, MPH, MS, Division of General Academic Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh, 3414 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. E-mail: ragavanm{at}chp.edu

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