Which category includes poverty and limited access to healthcare as risk factors?

• A. Social determinants of health risk
• B. Prenatal risk
• C. Birth risk
• D. Individual risk

Answer: (A)

Health outcomes are shaped by social and economic conditions that influence access to resources, opportunities, and services. Poverty and limited access to healthcare are classic examples of social determinants of health because they affect whether people can prevent illness, seek timely care, and manage chronic conditions, as well as exposure to hazards, housing, nutrition, and stress. This makes them a broad category that captures how the surrounding environment and systemic factors drive risk, not just individual biology or behavior.

The other categories focus on risks tied to specific life stages or personal factors: prenatal risk relates to conditions during pregnancy that affect the fetus, birth risk concerns factors around delivery, and individual risk centers on personal or genetic factors and choices.