A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

Abstract

Teaching students about the intricacies of how social determinants of health (SDOH) influence individual and community health requires instructor creativity. This article offers an innovative strategy for engaging millennials, those born after 1982, in learning about the SDOH. The teaching approach uses engaging techniques, community engagement, and graphic information systems to reach students. This activity is best facilitated through four different sessions: (1) class session: introduction and explanation of SDOH; (2) small group discussions; (3) homework assignment: students physically collect and store the primary data and the instructor assimilates the data and creates a map; and (4) class session: visual analysis and discussion of data and resulting maps. At the end of the implementation of this teaching strategy, students should be able to list and describe each of the SDOH; collect, record, and classify primary data (e.g., address, photograph, service type) on physical assets that both positively and negatively contribute to individual health in a specific community; and evaluate and discuss how geographic location of resources influences individual health.