M2 – Discuss the Factors Likely to Influence Current and Future Patterns of Health in the Uk

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)

(D1) Evaluate the influence of government on factors that contribute to the current patterns of health and illness in the UK –

Life expectancy in the human race has risen dramatically in the past century reaching its highest level for both male and female on record. Between 1981 and 2002 life expectancy at age 50 increases by four and a half years for men and three years for women and two years respectively. By 2002 women who were age of 65 could expect to live to the age of 84 while men could expect to live to the age of 81.

Understanding patterns and trends in health and illness among different social groupings: patterns and trends according to, eg social class, gender, ethnicity, age, locality and risk behaviour (explain 3)

I am unsure of what is the growth rate of obesity in America today, but I can predict by my observation that obesity is spreading like a wild fire in America. If obesity will continue to grow this way, then I think growth rate of obesity will increase drastically and not only individuals, but also the whole United States will have to pay for unimaginable medical expenses.

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

“Trends: Obesity” basically speaks for itself. The article explains how this is a trend that has been going on for years and it would nice for once to stop a huge nationwide issue from growing and becoming more of a trend than it already is. A lawsuit was brought up against McDonald’s in 2002 for being blames on obesity and reasons for having heart diseases. The case spread awareness on how obesity was an issue in the U.S. Fast food restaurants were encouraged to sell healthier food but when it came to the customers choosing what to eat, most of them still ended up picking unhealthy decisions. Besides fast food industries who also try to sell healthier meals will probably make it overpriced. More people demand to eat junk food so the industries

However given this information there are still a variety of other factors i.e. social factors that can have a massive influence on an individuals health and these things are not the easy to change and manipulate. Social determinates of health is loosely defined as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live etc. individuals tend to have less control over theses factors especially at a younger age. Which got me thinking how does one’s social economic status influence an individual’s health.

Patterns and trends regarding health and illness vary within different social groupings. For example, age and social class. Most people at retirement age are healthy and fit making valued contributions to society through paid work, volunteer work and by being a good citizen to society. However there are significant higher levels of illness in people over 75 due to their bodies being unable to function as well as it did as they age, therefore they are unlikely to receive as much exercise and fresh air, also they may be unable to stand up for long periods of time. This could lead to various complications such as not being able to cook. These factors all lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. Ill health is not the only worry that comes

At the centre of the health determinants model, occupying the core, are personal characteristics of age, sex and hereditary factors, portraying how health effects accumulate throughout an individual’s life. This category has the greatest impact on an individual’s health, yet policies, practices and public health improvement strategies are seen to be beyond the reach and influence of these factors.

In order for me to get a good grasp on what Scotland is lacking in health, I wanted to look at the demographics of each health aspect and what population it affected the most. Because we are specifically targeting workplace wellness programs, I focused most of my attention on the population of people from the age of sixteen to the age of sixty-five (the average retirement age in Scotland is sixty-five). There are six different dimensions of health that contribute to someone 's overall well being. These dimensions are: occupational, spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional and environmental. However, these fall under different health behaviors. The top health behavior problems in most countries are alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity, diet and mental health. Through doing some research, I was able to get a hold of a book called The Scottish Health Survey. This book looks into these different health behaviors and shows how problematic each one was as of 2015.

Several factors contribute to a person’s health status and these factors are sometimes referred to as the social determinants of health. Employment, stress, gender, education, and income etc. are a few to name. Besides,

World Health Organisation (2015) states there are many factors that contribute to the health of many individuals and communities. Whether people are healthy or not is decided upon their situation and environment. On a far wider scale such as friends, family, education, income, relationships, where we live, and the condition of our environment all have a huge influence on health.

This essay will attempt to evaluate the reliability and validity of the data provided in the research report ‘Understanding Inequalities in London’s life expectancy and healthy life expectancy’, also compare what the cultural and structural explanations are for health inequalities. To explain what three factors influence health inequalities and identify what policies are in place to help reduce the level of health inequalities in London

The following statistics will give a broad over view of the health of the population as it relates to the overall topic of