We use cookies to improve and understand visitor’s experiences. By continuing to use this website, you consent to Sam Fox School’s usage of cookies.

Support Apply
Collaborations • Health Communication Design Studio

The Social Determinants of Health Tour

The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Tour, led by Generate Health, is a virtual training for public health practicioners, students and non-profit employees developed and designed by HCDS with Generate Health. This tour centered on three predominantly Black ZIP codes that have faced significant maternal and child health disparities due to a historical legacy of racism impacting healthcare, housing, education, and other social determinants.

About Generate Health's Social Determinants of Health Tour

The SDoH Tour aimed to:

  • Enhance the engagement of St. Louis health professionals with Black women, pregnant individuals, children, and families by deepening their understanding of the racial history of St. Louis and its ongoing impact.
  • Cultivate empathy for those affected by systemic inequities and foster a sense of urgency to address these issues.
  • Encourage proactive efforts to amend the systems and policies that perpetuate health and social inequities.

The traditional SDoH Tour featured an immersive windshield tour through The Ville neighborhood, led by Generate Health’s local experts. Participants learned about the historical impact of redlining, school desegregation, environmental racism, and discriminatory health policies on the neighborhood, witnessing the long-term effects on local industry, jobs, education, neighborhood safety, public transportation, and food access. The tour also highlighted the resilience and initiatives of local residents and organizations in revitalizing the community.

Evaluation data from 2019 revealed significant gains in participants’ understanding of the impact of housing policies (+63%), education policies (+64%), and local healthcare history (+79%) on racial disparities. They also reported increased ability to identify strategies to reduce these disparities (+29%) and advocate for equity (+44%). Despite positive feedback, attendees pointed out the limitations of the tour’s format, including the crowded, noisy, and bumpy vehicle, and expressed a desire for wider availability. That is why the CEAL team, with HCDS, focused on expanding the tour’s format to be more accessible.

SOLUTION

To address these issues and expand accessibility, Generate Health, supported by our CEAL team, adapted the SDoH Tour for remote and hybrid delivery. The Health Communication Design Studio (HCDS) played a pivotal role in this transition, focusing on a virtual training presentation deck and a self-guided module.

Virtual Training Module

  • The HCDS adapted the in-person SDoH Tour for remote delivery via Zoom. This involved applying user-centered design principles and information design techniques to enhance the content for an online setting.

  • The virtual SDoH Tour was delivered to 25 health sector leaders, workers, and students. It included specific design elements such as custom visuals, historical slides, and branding consistent with Generate Health’s mission.

  • Evaluation through pre-post surveys and short-term follow-ups showed improved understanding and awareness of SDoH, changes in professional behavior, and the initiation of actions aimed at addressing health disparities.

Self-Guided Module

  • The HCDS developed an asynchronous, self-guided interactive learning module focused on housing policy, a key segment of the SDoH Tour.

  • This module was tested by 100 health sector workers, health professional students, and community members. The evaluation assessed usability, user experience, and similar outcomes to those of the Zoom-delivered tour.

  • The self-guided module demonstrated strong potential for broader distribution, allowing for greater scalability without being restricted by personnel resources.

The collaborative efforts of the Generate Health and the Health Communication Design Studio have effectively transformed the SDoH Tour, making it more accessible and impactful, and setting the stage for broader systemic change aimed at achieving health equity in St. Louis.

Who

Key Team Members: Penina Acayo Laker, Alex Koehl, Christine Watridge

Connections: This project partnered with the GenerateHealth.