Whether people are healthy or not, is determined by their circumstances and environment. To a large extent, factor such as where we live, the state of our environment, genetics, our income and education level, and our relationships with friends and family all have considerable impacts on health, whereas the more commonly considered factors such as access and use of health car services often have less of and impact. The determinants of health include the social and economic environment, the physical environment, and the person's individual characteristics and behaviours.

The Public Health (PH) program is mainly involved in epidemiological research on occupational, environmental, and social health determinants and to provide scientific knowledge relevant for public health action in order to reduce health inequalities.