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List Five Factors That Influencing Health

Decent Essays

Question Two: Health and health care

A. List five factors that influence health? Explain how each factor influences health and identify these factors as either upstream or downstream determinants of health.
Downstream determinants of health are actions at an individual level and can include one's genetics and inclination to chronic disease and impact their quality of life (i.e. health behavior of smoking.) By smoking or using alcohol, the individual is spending part of their income, so they would be at a disadvantage, and it is contributing to ill-health. Another downstream factor that influences individual health is poor nutrition/low physical activity. This is a behavior that can affect health. If the person does not walk, bicycle, or swim and gets no exercise they are contributing to an unhealthy lifestyle. If they choose to eat (cheap) take away they are not getting the best nutrient value. This under nutrition and low physical activity will contribute to a higher susceptibility of disease. Their health status is immediately impacted and their life expectancy would be reduced. Upstream factors are the fundamental causes that lead to downstream effects on health. An upstream factor in living conditions is education. If the individual is illiterate, the chances are they cannot find a well-paying stable job which would lead to them being in poverty because they have less income. This would have a negative impact on their health. There are parts of the physical environment

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