How do social determinants of health intersect with One Health?

• A. Socioeconomic factors influence exposure, access to care, animal management, and environmental conditions across communities and ecosystems.
• B. They are irrelevant to One Health.
• C. They only affect urban human populations.
• D. They influence only pharmaceutical pricing.

Answer: (A)

Social determinants of health describe how factors like income, education, housing, neighborhood, and access to care shape health outcomes. In One Health, those same factors influence animal health and environmental conditions, creating a connected web where human, animal, and ecosystem health affect each other. The way people live and work affects their exposure to zoonotic pathogens, their ability to prevent and seek care, and how animals are kept and managed. For example, limited resources can mean poorer sanitation, closer contact with livestock or wildlife, and fewer veterinary or medical services, all of which can raise disease risk for both people and animals. How animals are cared for, vaccinated, and housed is often tied to economic and social contexts, which in turn impacts disease dynamics across communities and environments. Environmental conditions like water quality, waste management, and habitat stability are also shaped by social and economic forces, influencing health for humans and wildlife alike. Recognizing these intersections helps explain why interventions that address education, income, housing, and healthcare access can improve health outcomes across the human–animal–environment interface.

Other options miss this broader, interconnected view. Saying determinants are irrelevant ignores a fundamental link in One Health, and limiting the impact to urban humans or to drug pricing fails to capture how social factors shape exposures, care access, and management practices across both people and animals.