Examining the Effect of Social Determinants of Health on Human Trait Heritability
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Social determinants of health (SDOH) data are often excluded from genetic models of human traits. We use individual-level data from the All of Us Research Program to assess whether SDOH survey variables alter heritability estimates. Incorporating SDOH summaries decreases heritability significantly for 4 of 18 anthropometric and metabolic traits in individuals whose self-reported race is “White” (n=67,545). There are no such significant changes in individuals whose self-reported race is “Black or African American” (n=6,538), likely reflecting reduced statistical power. Incorporating genetic principal components consistently lowers heritability estimates in both groups, whether or not SDOH summaries are included. These findings demonstrate that survey-derived SDOH summaries can change heritability estimates and should be considered along with genetic summaries.
