Social Determinants of Health

Many factors combine to affect health outcomes for individuals and communities. There is no single agreed list of Social Determinants of Health, but Aberdeen City Council and the Health Determinants Research Collaboration Aberdeen (HDRCA) consistently use these five themes drawn from the World Health Organisation’s broader framework.

Children, Families and Lifelong Learning
Communities and Housing
Economic Stability
Health and Social Care
Neighbourhood and Environment

Within these determinants, socioeconomic factors such as poverty, employment and education have the greatest impact on health outcomes. This shows that the biggest contribution to population health often lies outside the health sector. Addressing these determinants effectively is therefore essential for improving health and reducing longstanding inequities.

There is more information on the Social Determinants of Health at the WHO (World Health Organization) website.

Below are some key reports and resources on the Social Determinants of Health and health inequalities in Scotland and the UK.

We also highlight the Health Determinants Atlas – an online interactive resource presenting key data on health inequalities and the Social Determinants of Health across the North East of Scotland.

The HDRCA has developed an online, interactive Health Inequalities Atlas covering the broader North East of Scotland and presenting a range of data relating to health, health inequalities, and the wider determinants of health.

Built using the latest Census data and enriched with local datasets – from deprivation indices to food access profiles – the Atlas presents health determinants at granular level. It is interactive, downloadable, and freely available for anyone to use.

Council and Community Planning Officers are already using it to inform strategies, target interventions, and track progress on reducing inequalities. New data continues to be added, enabling innovative combinations like health and housing, or education and physical activity. By making complex data accessible and actionable, the Atlas can help ensure that decisions about health are rooted in the realities of local communities.

The Black Report was published in 1980 from a Working Group on Inequalities in Health, chaired by Sir Douglas Black. The group had been commissioned in 1977 to investigate the variation in health outcomes across social classes and consider the causes and policy implications. They produced a landmark report showing that people in lower socioeconomic groups experienced significantly worse health outcomes and life expectancy. The report emphasized that these disparities were largely due to social and economic factors, not just access to healthcare, and called for wide-ranging policy reforms to address the root causes of inequality.

An updated report was published as a paperback book (ISBN:978-0140172652), and the Socialist Health Association have made available the original text of the report.

The Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland (CHES) is a partnership between Public Health Scotland (PHS), the UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE), led by Professor Sir Michael Marmot, and three councils and health boards in Scotland – Aberdeen City, North Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. The partnership was established in order to strengthen and accelerate ongoing efforts to improve Scotland’s health, promote well-being, and address health inequalities.

The ‘Health inequalities in Scotland: first report from the Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland’ (CHES) highlights disparities in life expectancy and health outcomes across Scottish regions, with deprivation strongly linked to poorer health. It calls for targeted local and national action using the Marmot 8 framework to address systemic barriers and improve health equity. Aberdeen City, North Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire were selected as three areas for priority action.

Institute of Health Equity (2025) ‘Health inequalities in Scotland: first report – Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland (CHES)’, London: Institute of Health Equity.

The ‘Social Determinants of Health in Scotland: second report by CHES provides a detailed analysis of inequalities across eight Marmot principles, highlighting persistent disparities in education, employment, housing, and public health. It is shown that current funding mechanisms may inadequately address deprivation, especially in rural and island communities, and calls for more targeted, equitable resource allocation.

Institute of Health Equity (2025) ‘An overview of the social determinants of health in Scotland: the Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland (CHES) – Second Report’, London: Institute of Health Equity.

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The 2025 Inequality Landscape report by the Scottish Health Equity Research Unit highlights persistent health and socio-economic inequalities in Scotland, with limited progress in key areas like employment and housing. It calls for a prevention-focused, cross-sectoral approach to tackle entrenched disparities, especially among young men at risk of drug, alcohol, and suicide-related deaths.

Catalano, A., Congreve, E., Jack, D., McHardy, F., and Smith, K. (2025) ‘2025 Inequality landscape: health and socioeconomic inequality in Scotland‘, Scottish Health Equity Research Unit.

The Scottish Health Equity Research Unit (SHERU) is an independent research unit, funded by the Health Foundation to provide insight, analysis, and scrutiny on the socio-economic factors driving health inequalities in Scotland.

Poverty in Scotland