Which Social Determinant of Health is listed as contributing to the longevity gap in the North Hartford Promise Zone?

• A. Education
• B. Unemployment
• C. Poverty
• D. Housing quality

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is how social conditions shape how long people live, and which factor is identified as driving the longevity gap in the North Hartford Promise Zone. Poverty is the strongest descriptor because it directly gates access to many resources essential for health—nutritious food, stable housing, regular medical care, safe neighborhoods, and stress-free living conditions. When those resources are scarce, people experience more chronic stress, higher rates of preventable disease, and barriers to preventive care, all of which shorten life expectancy. Poverty also tends to bring together several other hardships, making it a comprehensive indicator of disadvantage that shows up in health outcomes across a community.

Education, unemployment, and housing quality matter for health, but they often operate as pathways through poverty or as individual aspects of living conditions rather than as the overarching driver identified in this context. Poverty captures the broad, cumulative impact of deprivation that most directly relates to the longevity gap in the North Hartford Promise Zone.