How Certified Youth Coaches Can Impact Adolescent Health: Equity, Disparity, Social Determinants, and Solutions

Introduction:

Health isn’t just a medical concept. Health is comprised of physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being, and The World Health Organization considers it to be a fundamental right for every human. This blog introduces the concepts of health equity, health disparities, and social determinants of health. It details how these concepts impact adolescents in their everyday lives, and highlights how Certified Youth Health Coaches can positively impact adolescent outcomes in their community.

What is Health equity?

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine say it is “the state in which everyone has the opportunity to attain full health potential and no one is disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or any other socially defined circumstance.”

What are Health disparities?

The CDC defines health disparities as preventable differences among specific population groups in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health. Health disparities are inequitable and are directly related to the historical and current unequal distribution of social, political, economic, and environmental resources.

Which populations are currently experiencing Health disparities?

• racial and ethnic minority groups
• people with lower socio-economic status
• underserved rural communities
• sexual and gender minority groups
• people with disabilities

We can improve health risks and reduce disparities and inequities by addressing social determinants of health.

What are Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)?

The CDC says SDOH are the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in the environments in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age. SDOH are one of three focus areas for Healthy People 2030 alongside health equity and health literacy.

Healthy People 2030 sets data-driven national objectives in five key SDOH domains:

1. Education Access and Quality
2. Healthcare Access and Quality
3. Neighborhood and Built Environment
4. Social and Community Context
5. Economic Stability

Healthy People 2030 also includes several Adolescent Objectives:

• Increase the proportion of adolescents who have an adult in their lives with whom they can talk about serious problems.
• Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who communicate positively with their parents.
• Increase the proportion of high school students who graduate in 4 years.
• Reduce the proportion of adolescents and young adults who aren’t in school or working.
• Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who show resilience to challenges and stress.
• Increase the proportion of adolescents with physical, mental, or behavioral health conditions who get treatment.
• Increase the proportion of adolescents who have preventive care visits once yearly.
• Reduce the proportion of children and adolescents with obesity.
• Increase the proportion of adolescents who do enough aerobic and muscle strengthening activity, play sports, and/or walk or bike to get places.
• Increase the proportion of adolescents who get enough sleep.
• Reduce physical fighting, gun carrying, dating violence, and/or sexual violence among adolescents.
• Increase the proportion of adolescents who perceive great risk associated with substance abuse.
• Reduce the proportion of adolescents who used tobacco, drank alcohol, engaged in binge drinking, and/or used drugs in the past month.
• Reduce pregnancies in adolescents.
• Increase the proportion of adolescents who get formal sex education before age 18 years.
• Increase the proportion of adolescents who have never had sex, used effective birth control, and/or condoms.

How Certified Youth Health Coaches can make an impact on adolescents via SDOH domains:

As youth coaches, our work focuses primarily on improving the overall well-being of adolescents, young adults, and their families. Healthy People 2030 contains many adolescent objectives that YCI coaches learn to address through education and training. Certified Youth Health Coaches will be prepared to support adolescents in the SDOH domains.

1. Economic Stability: Job/career coaching and skill building
2. Education: Academic coaching and skill building
3. Healthcare Access and Quality: Health and wellness coaching and wellness lifestyle skill building
4. Neighborhood and Built Environment: Coaching to identify and leverage structural resources (e.g. school, work, healthcare, etc.)
5. Social and Community Context: Coaching to identify and leverage social and community resources (e.g. family, friends, caring adults, etc.)

Conclusion:

Certified Youth Health Coaches have a unique opportunity to be change agents in the lives of adolescents and their communities. Through providing client-centered, non-judgmental, unconditionally positive support and accountability to young people, CYHC’s can help teens improve their physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being.

CTA: Are you a caring adult looking for opportunities to transform the lives of youth in your community? Become a Certified Youth Health Coach. Find out how here.