Commercial Determinants of Health

Sandwell’s Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC) is a new council initiative that aims to improve how we use research and evidence to plan and deliver our services. This will help to ensure that our services are informed by evidence of what works, are good value for money, and reflect the needs of local residents.

HDRC Sandwell’s culture and evidence-informed practice workstream are developing how research can be utilised to improve service design and delivery. We are delivering information sessions with the aim of increasing the use of evidence being used in practice. These will include presentations on research that has been undertaken, and discussions on how that research could be potentially used in service design, delivery and in current job roles.

Commercial Determinants of Health
14th January 2025, 1-2pm

This session will focus on how exposure to health-harming products (e.g. tobacco, alcohol, high fat, salt and sugar food) can contribute to poor negative health outcomes. For example, eating healthily can be harder if an area has a large number of fast-food outlets or healthy food options are limited and expensive.

We need to consider how companies and business activities designed to generate profit affect people's health. These are known as the Commercial Determinants of Health (CDoH). There is growing evidence on the impact of CDoH on population health and health inequalities, and we need to understand how we can protect our residents from being exposed to harmful products.

This session will aim to help you understand more about the CDoH, how they affect population health and health inequalities, and what your role is in addressing them. It will also help you to use the available research and evidence to understand the need locally in Sandwell, and how you can take the CDoH into account in your own work.