A Social Determinant Of Health And The Effects It Has On The Physical And Mental Health Essay

As stated by the World Health Organization (WHO), ‘health’ is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 1948). The health and wellbeing of individuals is generally determined by their circumstances and environment, a phenomenon referred to as the social determinants of health. WHO describes the social determinants of health as:

Understanding social factors in health has become a central issue recently and a large number of studies has been dedicated in this regard. Social factors are phenomena seen in the interaction between individuals and social groups. In this essay, the importance of understanding such factors and their influence on health are addressed by studying socioeconomic status. Studies results are incorporated to explain health inequalities that arise from socioeconomic status and possible explanations including the material and structural, social selection, cultural and historical explanations cited in the literature are briefly discussed.

Study has shown that the health of individuals are affected by a wide range of factors relating to the community, environment and social situation in which people live, along with the health behaviours that individual adopt, referred to as the determinants of health. The key determinants of health are: Individual factors which are knowledge, skills, attitudes and genetics. Sociocultural factors which are family, peers, media, religion, culture. Socioeconomic which are, factors, employment, education and income and environmental factors, geographical location, access to health services and technology. Individual factors are those factors exclusive to each person that can regulate their level of health.

Social determinants of health encompasses ethnicity, gender and social class. It is seen as the essential

Social determinants of health — examples include gender, socioeconomic status, employment status, educational attainment, food security status, and availability of housing and transportation, colonization and health system access and quality,

An important social determinant of health that affects the homeless population is income inequality and socio-economic status; people with low income often have high rate of illness and disease resulting to a low life expectancy. As a result of a low income earning, other Social determinants of health issues arises such as inadequate housing; According to studies, 1 in 5 households in Canada spend greater than 50% of their income on rent (RTR, 2017). As a result of this, they may not be able to afford better homes or they may even be forced to live on the streets, this may limit their access to hygienic food, water and clothing. In some cases the health care system tends to widen the health inequality gap especially for the homeless population where this stigma exists and this may reduce or hinder their access to the public health care system, it could also reduce the quality of care they receive from the health care

The social determinants of health are arguably more important than the biological determinants of health in determining what the health of an individual will look like through their lifetime. There are many social determinants of health such as culture, disability, income, education and social environment but these detrainments do not impact a person’s life individually. Social determinants do not work in isolation rather they indicate that a number of factors and or determinants of heath determine the health and the quality of life of individuals; in Richard Wagmese’s Ragged Company, social environments and culture are two social determinants of health that work off

There is growing research into what has become known as the social determinants of health; the central claim arising from this research is that “various social factors have a strong influence on population health and on inequalities in health outcomes across social groups”. (Preda & Voigt, 2015) Social determinants of health are conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality of life outcomes and risks. Conditions such as social, economic, and physical in various environments and settings such as school, church, work, or neighborhood have been referred to as “place”. (HP 2020) According to Healthy People 2020 (2016) understanding the relationship between how population groups experience “place” and the impact of “place” on health is fundamental to the social determinants of health. Healthy People 2020 (2016) have developed an approach to social determinants by organizing a “place-based” framework, reflecting five key areas of social determinants of health. Each of these five determinant areas, economic stability, education, social and community context, health and healthcare, neighborhood and built environment; reflects a number of critical components that make up the underlying factors in the arena of social determinants of health. Differences in social, economic, and environmental circumstances lead to health inequalities that are socially produced and therefore

The social determinants of health have been said to be causes of a variety of mental and physical illnesses. There are five main social determinants of health, in agreement with the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, and they include: "education, economic stability, health and health care, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context." These five identified factors shape and influence everyone within a community and assist with understanding health across various levels of the socioecological background.1-2

In the last few years, nurses and other healthcare professionals (HCPs) are under the spotlight of the media and the public due to issues addressed in documents such as The Francis Report (2010). This is good in a sense though as it gives us the opportunity to better ourselves as HCPs and improve the standard of care for everyone. It is now a widely known idea that there are many different factors that affect our health and wellbeing not just biological factors as believed to be the case not very long ago when a biological view was taken when addressing a person's health. However, this has all changed for the better where now healthcare is individualised, holistic and takes in to account the individuals own circumstances i.e. the social determinants of health and wellbeing (social determinants), not a simple one size fits all approach. This essay is going to discuss some of these factors so that we can learn to reduce these inequalities in healthcare and make great healthcare more accessible to everyone. The factors that will be discussed are individual lifestyle choices, housing conditions and .

According to the dictionary, the word health is “the state of being free from illness.” At a first glance, this defination seems to be very direct and simple, however the meaning of the word ‘health’ nowadays is much more complex. The above definition pretty much sums up our view of health in the first half of the 20th century.

Health Promotion is an important aspect among health and the wellbeing of individuals. In order to solve the challenges facing nutrition and food practice, health promotion is way to allow individuals and the community to increase and take control over their health. The concept of Health promotion examines the implications of food and health, ethics and diversity in food and nutrition. It is very meaningful to many individuals who lack support or facing challenges because it allows professionals to show awareness.

Housing can be related to four key aspects, which can all have a direct influence on social, mental and physical health, these comprise of the home itself including the economic and psychosocial construction of the household, the physical structure, the neighborhood and environment and the community (Braubach, Jacobs & Ormandy, 2011, p. 1). The quality of homes has a considerable affect on human vigor and wellbeing as warm, dry and secure homes are proven to be associated with better health, and can also decrease the potential for stress and behavioral health problems (Houses of parliament, 2011 p.1; Ellen & Glied, 2011, p. 136). Research shows that 80-90% of a persons day living in a developed country is spent inside consequently exposing health risks if housing conditions are unsatisfactory. For the sick, elderly, poor and disabled the home is a place where they spend most of their leisure time, however if they live in substandard housing they are more vulnerable and are in need of healthy living environments to prevent further illness and to promote recovery (World health organization, 2010 p.3). Much research has been conducted that suggests that poor housing is associated with many health impairments such as respiratory diseases, mental health, injuries including burns and cuts, and morality. Inadequate housing can be extremely stressful for the owners and residents including financial worries and concerns about mortgage and payments (Braubach, Jacobs & Ormandy, 2011, p.

Housing plays an important role in a person’s health and wellbeing. Access to open, green space and having good relationships with neighbours helps to boost mental health. Whilst, having a safe, dry and warm home to live in will benefit physical health (National Housing Federation, n.d.). According to the Royal College of Nursing (2012), there has been an enduring connection between poor health and bad housing.

The determinants of health are economic and social conditions that affect people’s health status. These influence the living and working conditions that impacts people’s everyday living condition. Factors such as the place and the environment we live in, genetics, educational level or work status and income, as well as friends and family are some of the aspects that affects our health condition. On the other hand, the people that have an access to good health care and have financial stability are less susceptible and are often less affected. (NANB, 2009)