Social Determinants of Health

   Social determinants of health are essentially anything and everything that makes up your life. This can include where people live, what their job is, how old they are, socioeconomic status, and many more. These can all play a role in our health, including the health of our nervous system. 

   Strokes for example can cause many different neurological problems depending on the severity and the location in the brain where the stroke occurred. Some of the biggest risk factors for a stroke are obesity and physical inactivity which have can have a direct link to social determinants of health. For example, if a person's environment is not safe or lacks adequate access to things such as gyms or parks a person may be less inclined to exercise. Also healthy food options may be hard to acquire due to location, money, or both. These factors contribute to the risk factors for a stroke and therefore increase one's chances of suffering from a stroke.

   Another big component is stress, particularly if it is chronic stress. This stress can come from someone's job, responsibilities at home, or even from feeling unsafe in the neighborhood they live in. This chronic stress can lead to elevated levels of cortisol, which is considered the "stress hormone". Higher levels of cortisol can impact the nervous system by shutting down the prefrontal cortex, which is important for executive functioning, as well as causes the amygdala to grow, which is involved in fear and anxiety. Cortisol in high amounts is also associated with hypertension which is one of the factors that can lead to a break down of the blood brain barrier, which can lead to further problems with the nervous system.

  The UTHSC program requires 75 hours of service/ professional development hours throughout our time as MOT students. The requirements help us to not only build on our knowledge of the profession through experience, but also help us to become more aware of the community around us and what health disparities people may be facing. By completing our hours in the three categories of public service, professional development, and leadership & advocacy, each of the students are able to get a diverse look and experience into many of the aspects of occupational therapy and hopefully help us to have a holistic view of the client.