The Four Main Determinants Of Health

Why are higher income and social status associated with better health? If it were just a matter of the poorest and lowest status groups having poor health, the explanation could be things like poor living conditions. But the effect occurs all across the socio-economic spectrum. Considerable research indicates that the degree of control people have over life circumstances,

The article, Life at the Top in America Isn’t Just Better, It’s Longer, written by Janny Scott gives insight detail about three people from different socioeconomic backgrounds. It is the conscious truth that money can enhance a individuals way of life and this is what is happening in the readings. According to the author, “Upper-middle- class Americans live longer and in better health than middle- class Americans, who live longer and better than those at the bottom. And the gaps are widening, say people who have re- searched social factors in health (page 29)”. The highly educated are more indeed to learn about health information and take advantage of the latest health treatments available. It is revealed that factors such as stress, diet, family structure, and even class status can affect and individuals health over a period of time. It is surely a concrete fact that if someone is from a higher sociological status in society, then they have access to better healthcare options in difference to those in struggling class statuses.

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 Health and Wealth connection distilled is our health will most commonly reflect from our amount of wealth. The wealthy can afford the cost of quality care and the time to take care of themselves. Within the textbook, Dimensions of Human Behavior Hutchison writes. Public health experts have long noted the association of poor clinical outcomes, in all body systems, with low income, low education, unsanitary housing, poor healthcare, on stable employment, and uncertain physical environment (Hutchison, 2015). Easily demonstrated throughout American society the rather dubious and is a somewhat perplexing phenomenon of the Health-and-Wealth connection theory. The gap between the haves and have-nots are ever expanding. Those who have the funding to pay for resources will pay to get those resources. And those who do not have sufficient funds to pay for said resources will, unfortunately, have to stand in the long lines to receive seemingly, deceptively, scarce resources.

Health determinants are the factors that can have a positive or negative impact on a person’s health. Many things can affect how healthy we are, from a complex interplay between macro to molecular influence to influences from society (for example, the prevalence of drug and alcohol use), to individual factors such as genetic make-up. Education, employment, income, lifestyle, psychosocial and physiological factors can also influence a person’s health and wellbeing. Health can also be significantly affected, and modified to some extent, by the quality and timeliness of the health care services we receive, including preventative health care such as education, screening and immunization.

National health policy is a complex and interdependent issue regarding a multitude of components including structural determinants of good health, lifestyle determinants, and socializing and empowering determinants. Structural determinants of good health can be considered key parts of our society regarding economic, political, and social areas that our culture has established (Estes, Chapman, Dodd, Hollister, Harrington, 2013). Our country has major inequalities regarding socioeconomic status and health care access, this in turn contributes to a disparity among our population and further promotes inequalities. Higher social classes have better access to health care as compared to people of lower socioeconomic status, thus further dividing

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

Health and social class have always been closely linked. Recent research has shown that the gap between social classes is not only widening in terms of annual income but also in terms of health. Social class affects a person's physical health, longevity, and ability and access to appropriate nutrition and medical care. People who have received more education and have a higher income are less likely to have and die of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and cancer. While individuals of lower social-economic class tend to experience more health issues, they have less access to healthcare of appropriate quality compared to individuals of higher social-economic classes. This is because there are higher health risk factors

The Health and wealth connection distilled is our health will most commonly reflect from our amount of wealth. The wealthy can afford the cost of quality care and the time to take care of them selves. Within the textbook, Dimensions of Human Behavior Hutchison writes. Public health experts have long noted the association of poor health outcomes, in all body systems, with low income, low education, unsanitary housing, in adequate healthcare, on stable employment, and unsafe physical environment (Hutchison, 2015). Easily demonstrated throughout American society the rather dubious and is somewhat perplexing phenomenon of the Health-and-Wealth connection theory. The gap between the haves and have-nots are ever expanding. Those who have the funding to pay for resources will pay to get those resources. And those who do not have adequate funding to pay for said resources will unfortunately have to stand in the long lines to receive seemingly, deceptively, scarce resources.

Education level, employment, income, family and social support, and community safety are all part of the social and environmental determinants in healthcare (Senterfitt JW et al., 2013). Public health has concentrated on improving clean water supplies, healthier housing, sanitation, workplace safety, safe food, and access to medical care to increase life expectancy (Senterfitt JW et al., 2013). Social and economic factors are not only the largest single predictor or driver of health outcomes, but also strongly influence health behaviors, the second greatest contributor to health and longevity(Senterfitt JW et al., 2013). In the lower social and economic population, unhealthy behaviors are more likely to

The determinants of health consist on three levels. The determinants of health levels are the individual lifestyle factors, the social and community networks, and the general socio-economic, cultural and environmental conditions. The determinants of health consist on our daily lives from the moment we are born, where we live, work and our age.

Many factors combine together to affect the health of individuals and communities. Whether people are healthy or not, is determined by their circumstances and environment. Factors such as where we live, the state of our environment, genetics, our income and education level, and our relationships with friends and family all have considerable impacts on health

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.

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.