Social Sciences and Population Studies A Study Section – SSPA

Topics

• Population-level social determinants of health, such as income, education, employment, housing, neighborhood conditions, environment, discrimination, and family and peer relationships.
• Social and economic policies associated with health, well-being, and risk behaviors.
• Morbidity, mortality, and health over the life course, including health disparities.
• Population composition and changes in composition, including issues related to population aging, race/ethnicity, household and family structure, neighborhoods, economic status and inequality.
• Health and labor economics and policy, including intergenerational exchanges, labor force and retirement influences on health, and income security of population subgroups.  
• Population-level reproductive health and behavior, including studies of contraceptive use and sexual behavior, fertility, and birth spacing, timing and intentions.
• Population movement, including migration of people within and across national boundaries.

Shared Interests and Overlaps

There are shared interests between SSPA/SSPB and Community Influences on Health Behavior (CIHB) in the study of social and contextual influences on health. Applications focusing on population-level data, using large observational studies, or where contextual factors are being examined to understand social processes, outcomes, or policies at a multi-state or national level are typically assigned to SSPA/SSPB. Applications using community-level data or community-based methods and those focusing on a specific community or local neighborhood are typically reviewed in CIHB.

There are shared interests between SSPA/SSPB and Social and Environmental Determinants of Health (SEDH) in the study of how social and environmental factors affect population health.  Applications that emphasize the social and environmental determinants of broad population health or demographic outcomes, such as well-being, morbidity, and mortality, behavioral health outcomes, and economic outcomes, are reviewed in SSPA/SSPB. Applications that emphasize the impact of social and environmental factors on biological, biomedical, or biobehavioral outcomes, including genetic and epigenetic studies, are reviewed in SEDH.

There are shared interests between SSPA/SSPB and Lifestyle and Health Behaviors (LHB) in health behaviors at the population level. Applications emphasizing the social, contextual and policy determinants of population-level health behaviors or the impact of health behaviors on social and demographic outcomes (such as employment or mortality) are reviewed in SSPA/SSPB. Applications emphasizing epidemiological patterns of health behaviors and their role in the development of health and disease outcomes at the population level are reviewed in LHB. 

There are shared interests between SSPA/SSPB and Reproductive, Perinatal and Pediatric Health (RPPH) in studies of reproductive health using population-level data. Applications that emphasize population-level changes in reproduction and sexuality, such as fertility patterns or social, lifestyle and cultural determinants of contraceptive use and childbearing, are reviewed in SSPA/SSPB. Applications that emphasize epidemiological studies of reproductive health that include assessment of the biological, behavioral, and social determinants of reproductive health diseases and conditions are reviewed in RPPH. 

There are shared interests between SSPA/SSPB and Organization and Delivery of Health Services (ODHS) in health care access and utilization. Applications that examine health service system influences on individuals’ health care access and utilization and focus on provider and organizational outcomes are reviewed in ODHS. Applications that examine social, environmental, or behavioral determinants of health care access and utilization are reviewed in SSPA/SSPB.

There are shared interests between SSPA/SSPB and Health Services: Quality and Effectiveness (HSQE) in population-level health outcomes.  Applications that emphasize a key social or behavioral focus on health and well-being across the life course, health disparities, demographic processes, and economic outcomes are reviewed in SSPA/SSPB. Applications that emphasize health care services, health care quality, and cost effectiveness are reviewed in HSQE.

There are shared interests between SSPA/SSPB and Social Psychology, Personality and Interpersonal Processes (SPIP) in studies of social determinants of health and behavior. Applications that emphasize social determinants in terms of population-level structures, family systems, household, or economic/policies are reviewed in SSPA/SSPB. Applications that focus on social determinants in terms of interpersonal process, social stigma, family and peer relationships, and social interactions and communication are reviewed in SPIP.

There are shared interests between SSPA/SSPB and Addiction Risks and Mechanisms (ARM) in the study of social and contextual factors associated with substance use. Applications looking at population-level social and structural predictors of substance use (e.g., policy, proximity to drug/alcohol outlets) are reviewed in SSPA/SSPB. Applications concerned with individual-level behavioral mechanisms and processes driving substance abuse and addiction are reviewed in ARM.