People in rural and remote areas often experience greater vulnerability and higher health-related risks as a result of complex issues that include limited access to affordable health services and programs. During disruptive events, rural populations face unique barriers and challenges due to their remoteness and limited access to resources, including digital technologies. While social determinants of health have been highlighted as a tool to understand how health is impacted by various social factors, it is crucial to create a holistic framework to fully understand rural health equity. In this commentary, we propose an integrated framework that connects the social determinants of health (SDOH), the political determinants of health (PDOH), the commercial determinants of health (ComDOH), and the corporate determinants of health (CorpDOH) to address health inequity in rural and remote communities in Canada. The goal of this commentary is to situate these four determinants of health as key to inform policy-makers and practitioners for future development of rural health equity policies and programs in Canada.
Social, political, commercial, and corporate determinants of rural health equity in Canada: an integrated framework