Adolescent Self-Rated Health

In 1946 the World Health Organisation (WHO) defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. This definition integrates the main concepts of health and identifies that health can be viewed differently by individuals and groups (Bowden, 2006). Health and well-being are the result of a combination of physical, social, intellectual and emotional factors (Dunkley, 2000a).

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:

Health has been influenced by many factors such as poor health status, disease risk factors, and limited access to healthcare. All these factors are due to social, economic and environmental disadvantages. According to the World Organization (WHO) (2015), “the social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities, which is the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries”

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social wellbeing, and not just the absence of disease” (WHO, 1974). Health inequalities are the differences in health or healthcare opportunities in different societies this may be due to income,

Socioeconomic status and health are strongly correlated due to both finances and education. Socioeconomic status affects lifestyle choices, diet and disparity in health care access. People in low SES often does not have health insurance and are denied access to health care services. Research studies suggest that lower SES is linked to poorer health outcomes (American Psychological Association, 2012). There are also generational differences with regard to which model patients prefer in seeking healthcare (Brannon & Feist, 2010). Many older adults perceive the biopsychosocial approach as new age. They are from a generation when infectious disease was the primary cause of death and disability and treatment to

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)

Olabiyi & McIntyre (2014) compare the behavioural characteristics and household socio-demographic variables that coincide with food insecurity in a culture that assumes its citizens are living well. The social determinants of health (SDOH) were emphasized as central precursors to predict food insecurity, such as education, job security, housing, gender, social safety network, and aboriginal status. This article challenges the assumption that all low-income houses are food insecure, and all food insecure household’s area low-income.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 1978), health can be defined not only in terms of absence of disease, injury or infirmity, but also, as a state of mental, physical and social well-being. Over the last decades, many studies have emphasized the role of social circumstances on health status. The tight link between health and a wide range of socioeconomic, environmental and demographics factors have been increasingly recognized and proffer an alternative perspective on how to consider public health, social justice and even restructuring of the health care system (Daniels et. al., 2004). The increasingly acknowledgement that health is also a result of cumulative experience of social conditions and exposure to environmental

Different people look at health in different ways. It can depend on their culture, environment, religion or age group. In order to have a clear understanding about how the people look at health, I have conducted a survey from a random sample of people who belongs to the above groups (e.g. people of different ages have been chosen).

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

Healthy people 2020 used “general health status, health-related quality of life and well-being, determinants of

The World Health Organisation defined health: “State of complete physical and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity” (WHO, 1946 p.100). Many factors influence health such as family traits, behaviours, access to quality healthcare and environment (quality of air, bad/good water and housing conditions) (WHO, 1946). The holistic view of health combines the mind (mental), body (physical), emotional and spiritual elements to a person (Ewes & Simnett, 2003).

The aim of this essay is to examine the influence that socio-economic status has on an individual’s health.

Socioeconomic status is a predictive measure of health that has been widely used in the literature (Kroenke, 2008). It

A lower social position has been associated with poor health and a higher rate of mortality; social position being measured by education, income, and occupation (Moore and Cunningham 2012). Said lower social position is related to having limited access