Is Health Determined by Genetic Code or Zip Code? Measuring the Health of Groups and Improving Population Health

Abstract

Maintaining the optimal health of all North Carolinians is integral to the overall well-being of the state. It is not enough to have policies, initiatives, and reforms created and led by experts in health and health care. To move towards a culture that appreciates and promotes optimal population health, we also need assistance from other arenas. Data continue to suggest that domains such as education, housing, and income may be just as important, if not more important, than determinants that are usually associated with health outcomes. Thus North Carolina’s leaders, professionals, and policy makers need to adopt shared responsibility for our population’s health by taking a health-in-all-policies stance. Research to expand our understanding of individual and group actions that contribute to health outcomes, collaboration of partners across diverse sectors to implement evidence-based initiatives, and creative thinking and planning for future workforce needs are a few important actions. Together, these efforts can help to shift our long-standing focus on “disease care” to an upstream approach that ultimately reduces health care burdens and improves population health.