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A social determinants of health survey in an Appalachian East Tennessee Medical Center: Initial findings and correlations with physical and emotional states of health

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Listed:
  • Paul D Terry
  • Gulsah Onar
  • Jennifer Ferris
  • Robert Eric Heidel
  • Nate Brophy
  • Kritika Thapa
  • Laylan Shali
  • Heidi Worth
  • Gayathri Kumar
  • Tracy Walker
  • Rajiv Dhand

Abstract

Background: People living in Appalachia experience inequities in health outcomes that may result from social determinants of health (SDH) and consequent barriers to healthcare. Objective: We aimed to assess SDH in our Appalachian patient population and examine associations between SDH and patients’ physical and emotional well-being. Methods: We constructed and administered a SDH questionnaire in an urban medical center in Appalachian East Tennessee. Our survey included administration of the Short Form-36 (SF-36), which measures various domains of physical and emotional health. We used the SDH questionnaire to enumerate respondents’ barriers to health (a total barrier score), with a maximum of 47 barriers identified. Descriptive statistics were calculated as frequencies and percentages. Spearman’s and Pearson’s (r) correlations and hierarchical multiple regression models were used to quantify associations between the SDH barrier scores and SF-36 subscales. Results: Our patients experienced substantial barriers to health (M = 11.61, SD = 5.10). SDH in our population included being underweight or overweight (BMI

Suggested Citation

  • Paul D Terry & Gulsah Onar & Jennifer Ferris & Robert Eric Heidel & Nate Brophy & Kritika Thapa & Laylan Shali & Heidi Worth & Gayathri Kumar & Tracy Walker & Rajiv Dhand, 2025. "A social determinants of health survey in an Appalachian East Tennessee Medical Center: Initial findings and correlations with physical and emotional states of health," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 20(10), pages 1-13, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0332087
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0332087
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