Our Built Environment And Its Effects On The Population

These settlement housing complexes, along with other emerging municipally supported housing and projects, were failing considerably as time went on, in more ways than not. Ways these housing and government projects were failing were in hygiene and sanitation, in addition to perishable products that went uninspected, like meat and dairy products, which eventually made citizens very ill, and even killed a few. Local factories emitting toxic fumes also did not help the issue at all8

Somehow they find a way to survive, even if it is not the most hygienic or healthy form of life, their continued survival is their priority. However, with extended amounts of time in difficult conditions their bodies begin to breakdown leaving them with the potential for an increased risk of illness and disease. Increased risks are primarily due to being in close proximity of others, their environment, and poor health awareness. According to Pippa Medcalf and Georgina Russel, “Homelessness is clearly associated with poor health and premature mortality owing to complex interactions between reasons for homelessness (eg poverty and substance misuse) and consequences of homelessness (eg cold environment and overcrowding)” (Medcalf & Russel, 2014). Common risk factors include, but are not limited to HIV, pneumonia, malnutrition, tuberculosis, substance abuse, and hepatitis. All of the risk factors stated can be directly attributed to their individualized method of

Environmental conditions can directly impact one’s health and safety. Davis explains, that primary prevention through assessments of the home and community are

Income and social status is one of the determinants of health. Being able to have a secured, low cost housing that provides for every individual or family during their whole lifetime is a major determinant of health and is important to good health. As Dr. David Hulchanski and colleague’s research “Three Cities” at the University of Toronto stated; “Housing insecurity is linked to income insecurity which is, in turn, leads to illness and premature death” (RNAO,2013). People who live in the street are more susceptible to physical and mental problem and are likely to die early due to sickness compared to general population. Homeless population are vulnerable to communicable diseases and substance abuse and this may jeopardize their health situation (RNAO, 2013). Health conditions become better as income and social status improve. Higher income means the affordability of an individual for a better way of life and providing their family a safe and secured environment. Being able to afford enough nutritious food on the table to share with the whole family is one of the most important things that an individual can hope for. In most cases, higher income and social status means more control and choices in their everyday lives. Some studies show that restricted options and poor coping skills while handling stress raises exposure that can lead to different kinds of diseases involving immune and hormonal systems. According to

The poor housing and diet are major factors of developing the four deadly diseases mentioned above. The office for national statistics reports that up to 1.1 million houses in England and Wales are overcrowded. This can have an impact on people such as a lack of privacy, cramped living conditions which may cause sleep disturbance and also affect a child’s education due to not having the silence or space to study. All of these factors could lead to anxiety and depression which would affect the patterns of public health in the uk.

Lower class people who are unemployed and depend on the government to support themselves live a poorer quality of life. This has a huge effect on levels of health and well being. For example, overcrowding in a home can affect health of an individual. The overcapacity of people living under the same roof creates respiratory infections from bacteria and dirt. This mainly involves the lower respiratory tract, which

This neighborhood is very culturally diverse and has a wide range of ages. There are both young and older families living in their neighborhood. Some aspects of the community that could affect resident's health are air pollution, aging populations, and noise disturbances. According to Health People 2020 leading health indicator for this population is environmental hazards. Some populations are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards. As a result, health disparities exist. Exposures to environmental

In today 's society, we are fortunate enough to live in a very diverse and multicultural nation. Thus, one may not realize that there is a vast array of health issues that is associated with it. A variety of issues that could come with a multicultural society could include, but not limited to: health disparities, access to healthcare, getting equal and quality care, and cultural appropriation. Likewise, there are factors involved that prevents people of minority groups from gaining access to the health care they need like a language barrier or no health insurance. One of the major factors involved that prevents access to proper health care is the built environment in which one lives in. The built environment consists of settings that were designed, created, and maintained by human efforts. The environment one lives in determines what kind of toxins they are exposed, as well as access to resources such as food, parks, schools, and healthcare. Not to mention, where one lives indicates their predicted life expectancy, socioeconomic status, health disparities they are also exposed to. As such, one of the most controversial and debated issue of the built environment is the displacement of the occupying demographic of the area. This is also known as gentrification.

A person’s health can be affected by many factors such as housing, income and environment. This essay will define and explain the term ‘social determinants of health’, discuss why housing, income and environment are considered social determinants of health and how these determinants can have a negative affect on one’s health.

As known the increase of homelessness in America is increasing. Not only that, mental illness within the homeless communities and the homeless in general is around one-third of the percentage of the homeless population. The mental illnesses one can have, has severe consequences. People who are homeless and have a mental illness are not able to carry out daily routines. They may also have trouble building or maintaining stable relationships. The mental illness causes people to misunderstand others guidance which causes them to react mentally. This results in pushing away anyone that cares for them; including family, friends, or even care givers. Mental health could result in poor physical health, especially for homeless people. The mental illness can cause people to neglect necessary precautions against disease. When improper hygiene is added to this, respiratory problems, skin disease, and exposer to tuberculosis or HIV can occur. Half of the homeless who are mentally ill, abuse

Stated in The Journey Home, “A study of emergency services usage in Baltimore found a strong connection between housing status and the frequency and number of visits to emergency rooms.” (“The Journey Home”) This indicates that it is very unhealthy to live on the street with no form of shelter. Being exposed to all kinds of weather this can lead to multiple diseases. From Health Care for the Homeless Incorporated it illustrates the risks of being unprotected by the elements, “The experience of homelessness causes health problems (frostbite and hypothermia from the cold, communicable diseases from crowded shelter conditions), exacerbates existing illnesses (cuts lead to infection, frostbite result in amputation or even death), and seriously complicates treatment (medications are lost or stolen, lack of transportation to access health providers, lack of health insurance).” In this case, with health insurance being as expensive as it is it will be impossible for the homeless to receive the proper medical attention they need before it is to late. Even when given the appropriate medical attention and medication it is at risk for becoming stolen, lost, or destroyed from the weather conditions caused by rain, heat and other factors. (National Health Care for the Homeless Council) It is not even just affecting the adults either; almost 400 children are suffering in the city of

Cities have always been the center of economic growth and development. People like to live the city lifestyle because of its promise for many jobs and prosperity. (L, Katherine) But as we look deeper into the health concerns of Canadian cities, we can find that they are becoming less healthy for citizens to live because of urbanization, pollution and poor water treatment. Municipalities in Canada should continue to look at solutions in how to make a more sustainable lifestyle to benefit the public health of local citizens.

There are many examples how the neighbourhood you live in can affect your health and wellbeing. To maintain good physical. Social and mental health we need the following resources. Good transportation route to local hospitals, nearby parks and walking trails, health shops, more education and employment opportunities, appropriate housing, more spaces for people to recreate and relax in like cafes and public plazas, local gyms, outdoor activities and better sewage and drainage. Alternately the things that have a negative effect on our physical, social and mental wellbeing would be poverty, people that are financially worse off tend to live in deprived

This essay will discuss ways in which a person’s socioeconomic class and his/her social situation can have an impact on his/her health, using examples. We believe that there is a direct link between socioeconomic/social class and health (Adler et al. 1994). I will be defining the key terms: socioeconomic and health, social class then proceed to discuss about how poverty, income, employability, environment and housing can impact on a person’s social situation and their health.

For example a person living in a deprived council estate, with a very low income has been proven to be more at risk of developing health issues compared to someone from a higher social class as there is a strong correlation between poverty and ill health. This has been backed up by (WHO, 1946) that state that ‘poverty creates ill-health because it forces people to live in environments that make them sick.’