Identifying a Core Set of Population-Based Social Determinants of Health Measures for Monitoring and Evaluating Chronic Disease Programs

Despite interest in assessing strategies that address the social determinants of health (SDOH), national measures to evaluate the impact of these interventions are lacking. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sought to identify a set of SDOH measures for monitoring and evaluating chronic disease prevention programs in five SDOH domains (built environment, community connections to clinical care, tobacco-free policies, social connectedness, and food and nutrition security). Based on the literature, an SDOH measurement roadmap was created for measurement development. Starting with 200 initial measures, an expert workgroup narrowed the number to 59. Multi-sector community partnerships subsequently assisted in further narrowing to 15 measures. Given community interest in addressing SDOH, this is an opportune time for program managers and evaluators to start with a core group of measures to assist with comparability, program monitoring, accountability, and impact.