Factors That Influence Health Status

Health as a whole is determined by the quality of life, as well as an individuals’ ability to create personal positive social and physical environments. These environments include homes, schools, workplaces and the community as a whole. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2003), the social determinants of health are conditions in which people live, work, and grow, where these factors are influenced by money, power and available resources. There are five main aspects of social determinants: economic stability, social/community health, general health, education, and the surrounding built environment, where each determinant refers to multiple key issues. These determinants commonly affect health, the functioning of people, their quality of life, as well as social, economic and physical risks. Examples of social determinants include:

Health determinants are the factors that can have a positive or negative impact on a person’s health. Many things can affect how healthy we are, from a complex interplay between macro to molecular influence to influences from society (for example, the prevalence of drug and alcohol use), to individual factors such as genetic make-up. Education, employment, income, lifestyle, psychosocial and physiological factors can also influence a person’s health and wellbeing. Health can also be significantly affected, and modified to some extent, by the quality and timeliness of the health care services we receive, including preventative health care such as education, screening and immunization.

Access to Medical Care Services – The CDC states that determinants of health are “factors that contribute to a person’s current state of health” Teitelbaum & Wilensky, p.124, 2017) The biggest factor to the current state of an individual’s health is access to medical care. Without medical care services health issues will linger as they will be put off and never addressed until the issue becomes serious.

Most people do not identify that cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of death and has the most modifiable risk factors to prevent cardiovascular disease.

Many factors combine together to affect the health of individuals and communities (The determinants of health. n.d.) Whether people are healthy or not, is determined by their circumstances and environment (The determinants of health. n.d.) To a large extent, factors such as where we live, the state of our environment, genetics, our income and education level, and our relationships with friends and family all have considerable impacts on health, whereas the more commonly considered factors such as access and use of health care services often have less of an impact (The determinants of health. n.d.).

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most common cause of mortality worldwide, especially in developed countries. But they are also largely preventable, and many studies have tried to clarify the related risk factors, and what could be done to avoid them.

Atherosclerosis is almost worldwide. Although it is hard to estimate how common atherosclerosis is, almost all adults have various parts of the illness. Cardiovascular disease is the single most common cause of illness and death in the developed country accounting for one in three of all deaths! Heart attacks due to coronary artery disease and strokes due to carotid artery disease are responsible for more deaths than all other causes combined. According to statics more than 80,000 people with cardiovascular disease died in 2005, making it the No.1 killer in America. Not only that, but each year in England and Wales, an estimated 124,000 deaths are caused by CVD, where about 39,000 of them occur in people under the age of 75. Due to the continuing obesity prevalent, it is predicted that atherosclerosis will continue to be a major health problem in this country.

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the United States with more than 610,00 people who die every year because of the complications attached to these diseases. Not only that, more than 735,000 people have heart attacks of different intensities ranging from slight to dangerous and life-threatening. The main heart disease that is diagnosed among patients is known as atherosclerosis.

Worldwide, coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cause of death, with over seven million people every year dying from it, accounting for 12.8% of all deaths(1).

There are certain factors that play an important role in a person's chance of developing a heart disease which are known as the risk factors. There are some risk factors that can be changed, treated, or modified, and some cannot.

Income, wealth, and education are three social economic factors that play a vital role in healthy lifestyle. In his article “Can Health Promotion Programs Save Medicare Money,” Goetzel Rz., states that “Income and wealth are the most important social determinant of health,” and that, “levels of income shape the overall living conditions, psychological functioning, health related choices related to quality of diet, physical activity, tobacco use, and alcohol

A. List five factors that influence health? Explain how each factor influences health and identify

Compiling data regarding the health of family members living and deceased can lead to a more complete understanding of one’s own health. Based on the research I composed regarding my family’s health history it appears that I am at risk for high cholesterol, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease and thyroid conditions. In my lifetime I have witnessed my family’s lifestyle characteristics that have contributed to these diseases. Of those ailments, heart disease is a primary concern and one that my own lifestyle and life choices can play a large part in avoiding. Being aware of my risks will make me more apt to make healthy decisions in order to avoid the negative conditions.

According to WHO (2016), globally CVDs are the number one cause of death and it usually takes place in low and middle-income countries. According to the Heart Foundation New Zealand (2015), CVD is still the leading cause of the mortality in this country, for a total of 30% deaths annually. Every hour and a half 90 people in New Zealand dies from heart disease. And every one of twenty New Zealanders are diagnosed with a heart disease. Reasons that there

It has been estimated that if the primary risk factors were eliminated, 80% of the cases of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes and 40% of cancers could be prevented. Interventions targeting the main risk factors could have a significant impact on reducing the burden of disease worldwide. Efforts focused on better diet and increased physical activity have