Determinants Of Good Health

Naidoo and Wills(2001, p.47) “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ - WHO (1946).” This definition falls into a holistic way of defining health, which believes that there are more areas to look at when thinking of health than just simply the absence of a disease. It considers the cause of why someone is ill and not just simply about ’fixing it’.

By looking at what different people say about health, it is clear that each one look at it differently. Therefore, there are many ways to define health. When we look at health, all physical, intellectual, emotional and social aspects should be considered because they all affect our health equally. Health can be defined in many ways, positively, negatively and holistically. It depends on how the individuals look at their health and how concerned they are about it. Our state of healthiness will depend on many things such as where do we live, what job do we do, what do we eat, who are our friends and everything else related to our lifestyle. Our choice about our lifestyle can make a difference to our health. If we are interested enough in ourselves, we can improve our own health. Some people think, that it depends only on the health care we obtain; however, it doesn't only depend on this. It is connected to our lifestyle as well.

Health prevention has become more of a focus since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and many different organizations have become involved in the pursuit of healthier lifestyles. Ethnic communities have become involved in supporting a healthier lifestyle because of the disparities that minorities have experienced with healthcare up until this point. Research has shown that minorities experience higher rates of preventable hospital stays, longer stays within healthcare facilities, and experience more medical errors with serious health consequences (Betancourt, 2014). Communities are focusing on social determinants or conditions within the environment that an individual live in to better all aspects of a healthy lifestyle (Healthy People.gov, 2016). One community based initiative that focuses on social determinants to improve health is Healthy People 2020.

Our overall health is greatly impacted by the quality of the economic and social opportunities we have available to us. For instance, is my home safe? Is my kids’ school safe? Does my community have a state of the art library? Are my drinking water, food, and air safe? Do we have a community gym? Is there a place of worship nearby? And the list goes on. The answers to these questions, our social interactions and the conditions in which we live in our community do affect our health and explain why some people or communities are healthier than others.

Be able to define what social and behavioral health entails with regard to public health.

Four health determinants that influence the health status of children living in Australia and Iraq are access to services, housing, culture and stress. Having access to services can act as a secondary prevention of ill health and can reduce the burden of disease in a community. If many people in a community do not have access to medical services the spread of disease will be higher and the population of the community will also be at a higher risk of contracting a disease. Children in Australia are fortunate to be able to readily have access to medical services on a regular basis. The quality of these services are closely monitored by the government with many health benefits and health care services provided. Many of these services are free

Are we living a good life? Many would say that we are living a good life but other would say no. The world we live in has many twist and turns to it. The determinants of health consist of a person income, education, environmental, lifestyle factors, genetic factors, access, affordability and quality of health care available to an individual. Many people have great lives with the determinants of health while others are struggling with certain parts of the determinants of health. Determinants of health is very important because it show and tell us about many things that go on in the world.

Health can actually mean various things to different people and it all depends on an individuals situation and circumstance. There are various factors that can potentially affect health and these factors include gender, age, family relationships, mental and emotional capabilities, life experiences, culture, spirituality and socio-economic. All of these factors can have some potential influence on your health status, health beliefs as well as aspirations. For example looking at the given case study there are several life experiences that could have an influence on Emma's lifestyle. One being, ''Emma does not smoke or drink, but since she has been spending a lot of time at the house, she has been comfort eating and has gained about 2 stone in

The purpose of this assignment is to analyse a public health issue that is an occurring issue with a service user I have come in contact with during practice. Obesity is the public health issue that will be discussed and the policy that relates to it ‘Reducing obesity and improving diet’ which was published by (Department of Health, 2013). This policy addresses the public health issue and provides ideas for change to reduce obesity within the United Kingdom. It will then link to how this policy has been applied to the public through the promotion of the ‘Change4Life’ programme. Cognitive therapy will be discussed and how research evidence highlights its effectiveness as a talking therapy to help maintain control over obesity. Confidentiality will be maintained throughout in line with the Nursing and Midwifery Council guidance (NMC) (2008).

There are many factors that are connected together to affect an individual’s health. There are several broad categories that factor in the determinants of health such as, policymaking, health services, gender, income, social status, social factors, health services, individual behavior, biology and genetics. Determining health exceeds the borders of health care and public health sectors, areas such as education, transportation, agriculture, environment, and housing can help improve health. Policies such as increasing taxes on cigarettes can help decrease the amount of smokers. The higher one’s income, social status and their education, the better their health is. The greater a person’s support system the more they use their healthcare access

Factors that influence ones health status is known as determinants of health. The determinants of health include a range of social, personal, economics and environment factors. First the social aspect that includes the availability to resources to meet your daily needs and includes access to jobs, education, and health care services. Second the physical aspects that include the natural environment, neighborhoods, schools and exposures to hazardous substances. The one that I see every day being in the health care is the availability of health services. The barriers of health care being high cost, lack of availability and insurance coverage. I just recently started an education program at my hospital for Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease,

According to 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 commonly determined by their circumstances and environment, a phenomenon known as social determinants of health. WHO describes the social determinants of health as,

Good health is the most precious asset owned by the human beings on earth. Good health is an essential pre-requisite for the persistent and adequate functioning of an individual and a society. Health of an individual is an essential requirement for carrying out day to day activities. Physical non-wellbeing is a problem not only for an individual but also for a society. A sick person’s primary concern is to maintain physical wellbeing of his body. Other pursuits of life become secondary to him.

Health can be defined by many factors. The completion of one’s social, mental and physical well-being and the absence of disease all determine the state of your health (World Health Organization, 2017). Living a healthy lifestyle will come with obstacles but retaining and having determination to fight off the urge will be rewarded at the end. According to Healthy People 2020, the five areas of social determinants of health include: economic stability, education, social and community context, health and health care, and neighborhood and built environment. These five determinants can coincide with World Health Organization thought to believe were the three determinants as well. World Health Organization (2017) stated that “the social and economic environment, the physical environment and the person’s individual characteristics

Health is of special value to individuals and communities at large. Good health is of great importance and is necessary for human well-being. Health not only provides intrinsic value in the form of comfort and physical integrity, its importance extends far greater than that and lies in its ability to allow individuals to exercise both civil (e.g. education and family life) as well as economic (e.g. employment) human rights. Without a decent level of health, it is very difficult to ensure economic prosperity and political participation (WHO 2008).