MAPPING THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH USING THE BRAZILIAN UNIFIED HEALTH SYSTEM (SUS) INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Abstract

Understanding the Social Determinants of Health has assumed a strategic position in the contemporary debate on public health, especially in countries marked by structural inequalities, such as Brazil. Based on this premise, this study aims to critically analyze the influence of these determinants on the organization of care and access to services within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), considering their implications for promoting equity. This is a qualitative, descriptive-analytical study, developed through a bibliographic survey of scientific databases and institutional repositories, encompassing recent publications on the subject. The analysis revealed that factors such as income, education, territory, access to information, and living conditions exert a decisive influence on patterns of illness and service utilization, showing that health is an expression of social dynamics. It was also observed that the persistence of inequities imposes limits on the effectiveness of public policies, requiring greater intersectoral articulation and planning guided by social justice. The emergence of new mediators, such as the technological dimension, is also highlighted, whose unequal distribution can amplify existing vulnerabilities. It is concluded that strengthening the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) depends on the effective incorporation of the Social Determinants of Health as a structuring axis of state actions, shifting the focus from exclusively assistance-based responses to strategies capable of addressing the social bases of illness and expanding the possibilities for a dignified life.