Social Determinants Of Health Essay

According to the dictionary, the word health is “the state of being free from illness.” At a first glance, this defination seems to be very direct and simple, however the meaning of the word ‘health’ nowadays is much more complex. The above definition pretty much sums up our view of health in the first half of the 20th century.

Health is a concept that relates to and describes a person's state of being. It is highly subjective as good health means different things to different people, and its meaning varies according to individual and community expectations and contexts. In this paper the definition of health, care and wellbeing is looked from an Aboriginal perspective taking into account the history of Aboriginal health and contemporary issues in health and wellbeing of Aboriginal communities.

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)

“The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life” (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2009). The social determinants of health can be divided into 5 categories, age, sex and hereditary factors, individual lifestyle factors, social and community networks, living and working conditions and general socioeconomic, cultural and

1. The social determinants of health inform the way we use primary health care to help communities to maintain health and wellness. Using relevant examples from the video, identify and discuss how two (2) social determinants of health helped determine the need for the project. HEALTHY CHILD DEVELOPMENT is a social determinant of health that I believe has helped determine the need for the project in Kalumburu WA. Many studies have been based on domestic violence & child abuse in remote Indigneous communities with identified relationships between excessive substance use & child abuse.

It is acknowledged in Closing the gap clearinghouse that Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population experience significant levels of health inequality when compared to non-Indigenous Australians across many sectors (Baum et al. 2013, p. 2). This disparity is prominently evident through discordance in the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) data concerning Indigenous health, as well as many other literature, and is contributed to by many interconnected and interdependent social determinants of health negatively affecting this minority. The focal point of this research has been identifying the main ‘upstream’ social determinants – also referred to as ‘distal’ determinants – and thoroughly investigating their impact on Indigenous health.

Population health has since been using health promotion as a foundation on which it continues to evolve. It has given rise to Urie Bronfenbrenners ecological systems theory which seeks to better understand factors that impact child development, Martin Fishbein’s Theory of Reasoned Action used to predict how individuals behave based on pre-existing attitudes and behaviours, and more. Since the Lalonde report, the four initial determinants of health have grown into Canada’s sixteen social determinants of health: income and income distribution, education, unemployment and job security, employment and working conditions, early life, food security, housing, social safety net, health services, social exclusion, gender, aboriginal status, race, and disability11. When addressing these determinants, their complexity and interrelatedness must be taken into account9.

This assignment will discuss different factors that determine health. According to World Health Organisation, “Health has been defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 2017). There are many social determinants factors that can influence health such as socio-economic factors, income, genders, education and cultures. These factors determine health and wellbeing. For example, some people are healthier than other people.

INTRODUCTION According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), social determinants can be defined as economic and social conditions that are capable of influencing the health of individuals and are molded by power, money, and resources that affect social factors that are directly and/or indirectly related to the health of individuals (“Social Determinants of Health”). In fact, a variety of social determinants and factors have been linked to diabetes (a progressive and chronic disease that occurs in individuals who have high levels of glucose resulting from a shortage or sensitivity to insulin (an energizing hormone). There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes; and all of the three types mentioned in this paper are on the

Our health care system is not set up to address some of the more social determinants of health. As we discussed in class, we can think of the social determinants of health as a pie being sliced into six pieces. For the most part we understood that SES played a big role in determining health. As a public health student, I am familiar with the facts and I’ve studied how people are under-served and uninsured due to their SES. My answer with the help of further research on the world health organization’s website, and vulnerable populations text book is awareness, legislative laws, and having guaranteed physician visits that will not put the individuals into financial hardship.

This assignment focuses on how social determinants within the White Chapel area could have an impact on an individual’s health. ‘The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life’ (WHO, 2016). From my observation carried out within the borough of Tower Hamlets, I concluded that there were three key factors that influenced the health and the lifestyle choices of the residents; these factors were: the type of individuals residing in the Borough, The Community which they lived in, and the conditions of their Environment. From the public walk, I observed that the area was highly populated; with majority of its residents

Social determinants of health are defined as the structural conditions in which people are born, grow, live, and age which include but are not limited to culture, racism, education, access to health care, and housing. Although African Americans have come very far from where they began in this country there are still systematic things such as neighborhood and built environment, education, and economic stability that limit the resources and opportunities available to african americans because America is place where capital governs power and success. It is no secret that the world is in a crisis as far as resources such as fossil fuels, renewable energy and access to health care due to the earth’s carrying capacity. In the year 2050 resources will be extremely limited and capital will decide who survives and who has access to resources such as renewable energy, housing, food and health care.

Health is a human right. Human rights are that every person should have the necessities of life such as food, clean water, clothing, housing, and medical care (Skolnik, 2016, p. 80). The WHO labels health as a human right by notating it is the right of everyone to obtain the highest standard of health, driven by accessibility and affordability (World Health Organization, 2015, p. 1). Many people suffer inequalities to obtaining optimal health in low income countries like Rwanda, but also in high income countries like here in the United States. These inequalities include violence against women and children, and lack of available immunizations.

The aim of this essay is to examine the influence that socio-economic status has on an individual’s health.

Understanding social factors in health has become a central issue recently and a large number of studies has been dedicated in this regard. Social factors are phenomena seen in the interaction between individuals and social groups. In this essay, the importance of understanding such factors and their influence on health are addressed by studying socioeconomic status. Studies results are incorporated to explain health inequalities that arise from socioeconomic status and possible explanations including the material and structural, social selection, cultural and historical explanations cited in the literature are briefly discussed.