Understanding Legal Authority to Address Social Determinants of Health

People’s well-being is significantly affected by the environments and conditions in which they live and work — known as social determinants of health (SDOH). Health departments can help ensure the health and safety of our communities by leveraging their legal authority to improve SDOH for all residents, especially those who face the highest barriers to healthy living.

This resource is designed to help state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments understand why improving SDOH through changes to laws and policies is crucial to community health outcomes and health equity. It outlines the sources and limits of health departments’ legal authority and highlights examples of how health departments across the United States have applied their legal powers to address SDOH and reduce inequities.