A Mapping Tool To Address Health And Education Disparities And Improve Access To School-Based Health Care

Our health is influenced by where we live, learn, work, and play. The economic, political, structural, and cultural factors that interact in our homes, schools, workplaces, and communities influence food security, safety, employment, physical activity, and family and community support. In resource-rich communities, these determinants help to protect health, well-being, and student achievement. In communities where resources are scarcer, and inequitably distributed, young people are far more likely to experience poor health and education outcomes. Compared to their peers in affluent neighborhoods, young people in resource-deprived communities experience higher rates of asthma, substance use, anxiety and depression, and obesity, and are at elevated risk of not having regular health maintenance visits. They are also more likely to be chronically absent from school, suspended, or drop out altogether. 

For those of us interested in creating conditions that remedy the inequitable distribution of these powerful social factors, we need data-informed strategies led by health and education leaders, community partners, and youth and their families.