What Does it Take to Have a Healthy Community? Exploring the Role of Social Infrastructure in Shaping Public Health

Abstract

Despite significant health care spending, health in the United States is declining. This paradox adds urgency to developing a better understanding of the factors shaping community health. While substantial research has focused on health care systems in order to understand health outcomes, the Social Determinants of Health framework argues for a more integrative and dynamic approach to public health. We extend that framework by examining the association between three pillars of social infrastructure (social capital, human capital, and creative cultural capital) and community health. Relying on a variety of U.S. county data sources, we find that the heightened presence of these pillars of social infrastructure is associated with better community health.

Keywords

community health social infrastructure U.S. counties social determinants of health

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