Social Determinants of Health

Another U.S. study found that low availability of emotional support and low social participation were associated with all-cause mortality.

“Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people have a greater amount of disadvantage and significantly more health problems than the non-Aboriginal & Torres strait Islander population in Australia”

There is growing research into what has become known as the social determinants of health; the central claim arising from this research is that “various social factors have a strong influence on population health and on inequalities in health outcomes across social groups”. (Preda & Voigt, 2015) Social determinants of health are conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality of life outcomes and risks. Conditions such as social, economic, and physical in various environments and settings such as school, church, work, or neighborhood have been referred to as “place”. (HP 2020) According to Healthy People 2020 (2016) understanding the relationship between how population groups experience “place” and the impact of “place” on health is fundamental to the social determinants of health. Healthy People 2020 (2016) have developed an approach to social determinants by organizing a “place-based” framework, reflecting five key areas of social determinants of health. Each of these five determinant areas, economic stability, education, social and community context, health and healthcare, neighborhood and built environment; reflects a number of critical components that make up the underlying factors in the arena of social determinants of health. Differences in social, economic, and environmental circumstances lead to health inequalities that are socially produced and therefore

these issues though those might be temporary. A final solution will have to be a national policy change in immigration, however, until then we could pursue some international options to aid undocumented immigrants in the United States.

The social determinants of health have been said to be causes of a variety of mental and physical illnesses. There are five main social determinants of health, in agreement with the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, and they include: "education, economic stability, health and health care, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context." These five identified factors shape and influence everyone within a community and assist with understanding health across various levels of the socioecological background.1-2

For example, four mountains were created in every world and a mountain was created in the center. In each of the worlds, animals, plants, and humans were slowly created as the gods progressed from worlds. Begochiddy planted bamboo’s, sunflowers, and planted a Luka, or a reed around the four mountains. The Luka would provide the transportation between worlds as it grew taller and taller from the breath of Begochiddy. The breath and the wind from Begochiddy in this story connects the Navajo people back to the natural and physical world because his breath gave life to so many things.

We’ve come to an understanding that the traditional approaches to tackling health issues aren’t very effective due to the varying factors that are embedded in social and economic barriers that certain communities and populations may experience because their sex, gender, race, disabilities etc. A prevention strategy that is focused at the macro/societal level, would be through taking a social determinants of health approach to reducing health inequalities. The social determinants of health influence the health of populations and acknowledges the factors that shape health is by the living conditions they experience. These influencing factors include, income and social status; social support networks; education; employment/working conditions;

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.

Aboriginal religion and spirituality, like many other religions of the world (both ancient and modern) retain the idea of the land and people having been created by a god, or gods during a certain period of creation at some point in time. A central concept that defines the uniqueness of the Aboriginal religion is the respected relationship between the land, animals and people. For people of non – indigenous religion, the land is seen more as something owned by them; a commodity to be bought and sold or an asset to make profit from. However, for Aboriginal people, the land is something much more powerful and ancient than simply just their own home. In their culture, they are owned by the land. They also retain a profoundly strong spiritual connection to the land. Aboriginal law and spirituality are intertwined with the land, people and creation, and this forms the basis of their culture and sovereignty.

Social determinants of health is the way society influences the health of an individual. Money is the main component that impacts health, however, many different social factors also play a role in health of an individual. Health can depend on the conditions in which a person is born, grows and lives in, this can include housing and social choices of family such as smoking. The World Health Organisation says that evidence suggests that the further down the social ladder you look the more likely the risk of serious illness or more frequent illnesses and a lower life expectancy. Poorer economic status can lead to a domino effect throughout life.

Social determinants of health are social, economic and physical factors that affect the health of individuals in any given population. There are fourteen social determinants of health but Income is perhaps the most important of these because it shapes living conditions, influences health related behaviors, and determines food security. In Canada, people with lower incomes are more susceptible to disease/ conditions, higher mortality rate, decreased life expectancy and poorer perceived health than people with high incomes. In numerous Canadian studies and reports, there has been more emphasis on health being based on an individual’s characteristics, choices and behaviours, rather than the role that income plays as a social determinant of health. Although Canada has one of the highest income economies in the world and is comprised of a free health care system, many low income families are a burden on the system because of the physical and mental health issues influenced by income insecurity. Low income individuals are heavier users of health care services because they have lower levels of health and more health problems than do people with higher incomes. This essay will address income as a social determinant of health in three key sections: what is known on the issue, why the issue is important and how can health and public policies address the issue. The main theme that runs through the essay is the income related health inequalities among low income groups compared to

A communicable disease chain is the mechanism by which an infective agent or pathogen is transmitted. The chain requires an infective agent, a source of infection, a mode of transmission and a host. An example of an infective agent could be bacteria, a virus, fungus, protozoan or helminth. The source of infective agents can be transmission from host to host, an infected human or animal, insects, soil or livestock. The mode of transmission is how the infective agent is carried from host to host. Transmission can be by air, ingestion or physical contact. To complete a life cycle or to replicate, the infective agent requires a host.

A person must make a journey upward, through the reed with their eyes closed, thinking only about their destination, climbing to a higher, more compelling level of consciousness. That's the next world,” he explained, adding, “I've heard other Indian creation stories that describe the entranceway between worlds, as occurring through a hole in the sky. Either way, most tribes believe that each person's path is ordained and their devotion to it determines where they are in their spiritual journey to the next world,” Jeremiah informed her.

They are just pieces of the puzzle that the desert’s travelers have been uncovering for centuries. To this day, I remember the moment I finally recognized the insignificance of the continuous worries that permeated my previous reality. I learned what holds true worth. Hundreds of lustrous stars appeared before my eyes, shimmering at me like the never-before-existing eighth wonder of the world. I felt as though my sense of direction had been restored, the stars lighting the path the sand was paving for me. Together, they gave me hope. What one may see as tragedies buried layer by layer beneath my resilient feet, I saw as delicate Saharan teachers. It is a desolate maze built to a perfect ratio of land and water, that challenges its contenders, breaking them down to simply build them back up. It is a test of courage. One in which silence throbs and gleams within the loops of thought that form in the minds of its travelers as they first step into the realm of

We might have hidden in a site far away from this subdued society or lived a normal life while encountering in the forest. Undoubtedly, our destiny separated us without piety.