Poverty In Nigeria

Health has been influenced by many factors such as poor health status, disease risk factors, and limited access to healthcare. All these factors are due to social, economic and environmental disadvantages. According to the World Organization (WHO) (2015), “the social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities, which is the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries”

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)

Poverty is the single largest determinant of health. It has a widespread range of negative effects, both on the physical and the mental level, making it a significant public health concern in many countries. Poorer people tend to live shorter lives because there’s a clear correlation between income and access to healthcare. This disparity draws special attention to the significant sensitivity of health and the social environment.

“Failure to acknowledge, and more importantly, to understand the role of Social determinants of Health (SDH) in health and access to health and social services will hamper any effort to improve the health of the population.” (Ompad, Galea, Caiaffa, & Vlahov, 2007). Unemployment, unsafe work environments, globalization and the inability to access health systems are some social determinants of health. Social factors would be considered place of residence, race and ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status are also part of social determinants of health. According to “Social Determinants of the Health of Urban Populations: Methodologic Considerations’ Place of residence and an individual’s status within the place are important determinants of health in urban settings. It is important to recognize that the place of residence is

The circumstances in which people live are shaped by the distribution of resources, power and money at global, national and local levels. Economics, social policies and politics all have a part to play (World Health Organisation [WHO], 2016). Social determinants look at key aspects of peoples’ living and working circumstances, and what the implications of these circumstances are on their long-term health.

Social inequities in health result from unequal distribution of social, economic, cultural and historical determinants. It is vital to identify these factors to reduce health inequalities and to improve health status of people. This essay depicts information on two social determinants of health that affect different vulnerable groups in terms of their socioeconomic position and ethnicity.

Health, illness and death are not randomly distributed across societies but rather determined based on ones class and socioeconomic status, their education and literacy, employment/working conditions, social and physical environments, food insecurity, social support networks, housing, poverty and inequality. These determinants have clear affects on the inequality of health and how it is

Income-level, educational attainment, race/ethnicity, and health literacy all impact the ability of people to access health services and to meet their basic needs, such as clean water and safe housing, which are essential to staying healthy. Evidence of the close relationship between living and working conditions and health outcomes has led to a renewed appreciation of how human health is sensitive to the social environment. The types of environmental influence that populations suffer and give rise to are broadly related to their socioeconomic

Studies show that people living in poverty face adverse living conditions which are associated with various ranges of health problems (Raphael, 2007). This means that people who live in poverty are more likely to suffer from chronic illness such as: coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and various form of cancers. As a result of poverty, individuals are more likely to have a lower life expectancy and higher mortality rate because of those facing numerous chronic illnesses. People living in poverty or in a low income bracket are more likely to be less healthy and have more medical conditions compared to their counterparts. As a result, they are more likely to be in the hospital more frequently with more complicated healthcare needs (Williamson, Stewart, Hayward, Letourneau, Makwarimba, Masuda, Rainee & Reutter, and Rootman & Wilson, 2006).

One of the main determinants of Health and Illness globally is poverty. Poverty and poor health worldwide are intricately linked. Health is a multifactor reality, and there are many elements which influence our wellbeing; food, water, shelter, clothing, education, etc. And what they all have in common is that poverty undermines access to all of these basic elements.

Social determinants of health — examples include gender, socioeconomic status, employment status, educational attainment, food security status, and availability of housing and transportation, colonization and health system access and quality,

The neighbourhood or environment in which someone lives can influence the physical, economic and psychosocial health outcomes of people living in the area. Social determinants of health as defined by the World Health Organization (2008) are “the social conditions in which people are born, live and work [and] are the single most important determinant[s] of good health”. This essay will explore the roles of education, employment and health literacy as social determinants; how they contribute to health inequalities in areas of low socioeconomic status. Often these determinants act as a part of a larger structure of multilevel determinants which can have a major impact on the wellbeing of individual and families residing in these areas. In

Poverty is a major menace to humanity existence in recent times majorly in the third world countries; it is one of the greatest threats to stability and peace more than other tussles like terrorism. The Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations to eradicate poverty everywhere in all its form and ensure quality education by 2030 shows the global commitment to ensure a higher standard of living for mankind.

The physical, mental and social well-being of every citizen (World Health Organization, 1946) is a core value for every institution, because it affects the productivity and determines the economic power of that country. Health is central to the value of a nation and revolves around the model of the health system, financing procedures and policies put in place to govern healthcare (Skolnik, 2012). According to social scientist, the enablement to perform ones social duties or function as required is term as health (World Health Organization, 2005). Because, illness affect person’s capacity of performance and involvement in daily activities, also its quality of life and length of life years (World Health Organization, 2005). Indicators such as life expectancy, health life expectancy (HALE), disability adjusted life year (DALYS) and quality adjusted life year (QALYS) are been use globally as indices to evaluate health status of a given population both in the presence or absence of disease or intervention (Skolnik, 2012). The goal of every society is to reduce the DALYS and enhance the QALYS and HALE at a lowest possible cost with great utility. Because increase in DALYS is an indicator of unhealthy society either due to poor health system or health behaviours (Skolnik, 2012).

In many parts of the Nigerian society, the question of cost, willingness to pay and ability to pay are important determinants of access to and utilization of health care systems (Omololu, Okunola, & Salami, 2012). The Nigerian people realized that many of their countries’ health care facilities were lacking the necessary resources and supplies to function sufficiently and effectively, despite the adoption of the core tenets of comprehensive primary health care in the 1980s. They needed to not only make health care delivery affordable but also accessible to their people. In response to this need, health Ministers from several African countries met and fashioned out strategies to accelerate and advance the delivery of the Primary health