Thursday, January 14, 2021

Resource: New Tool Quantifies Impact of Social Factors on Mental Health Outcomes

 


The Colorado Health Institute (CHI), in partnership with The Colorado Health Foundation, has launched an update to the Root Causes website that quantifies for the first time the impact that social factors have on mental health in Colorado. The new analysis and interactive website can help policymakers, community organizations, behavioral health experts, and other users determine which issues to target in order to have the biggest impact on mental health outcomes.

New updates to the tool offer a first-of-its kind analysis that will help communities determine the best places to focus their efforts to support behavioral health in Colorado. The updates quantify the impact that social factors – ranging from long drive times and insufficient sleep to college education levels and unemployment rates – have on mental health outcomes.

The new analysis builds on earlier phases of Root Causes, a dynamic and robust tool that allows users to explore the connections between mental health and housing, income inequality, racial segregation, and other social factors. The site also allows users to explore how the factors that influence mental health change over time and highlights multiple social factors at the census-tract level. Interactive dashboards also explain how each social factor influences behavioral health.

CHI will be hosting an educational webinar to demonstrate the tools to users and ensure that they can harness them to advance behavioral health. The 90-minute session will take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday, February 11. Attendees can register here.
Explore the Root Causes Project