World Health Organizations: 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.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has created an agenda for 2030. Within this agenda there are seventeen sustainable developmental goals (SDG) that aim to transform our world. These goals are to be met through numerous different means, government policies, public change, non-government organizations (NGO) and a variety of other ways. NGO’s are a large way to help meet these goals and impact the world for the better. LRBT, an NGO that focuses on eye care for those who live in Pakistan, focuses on meeting the goal ensuring healthy lives and wellbeing for all at all ages (United nations SDG, reference). Ensuring eye care for the residents of Pakistan not only provides them with care they should be subject too always, but

Health as a whole is determined by the quality of life, as well as an individuals’ ability to create personal positive social and physical environments. These environments include homes, schools, workplaces and the community as a whole. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2003), the social determinants of health are conditions in which people live, work, and grow, where these factors are influenced by money, power and available resources. There are five main aspects of social determinants: economic stability, social/community health, general health, education, and the surrounding built environment, where each determinant refers to multiple key issues. These determinants commonly affect health, the functioning of people, their quality of life, as well as social, economic and physical risks. Examples of social determinants include:

“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

In Sridhar Venkatapuram’s (2010) article Global Justice and the Social Determinants of Health, the main argument presented is of the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) 2008 final report and examines the lack of general support the findings have received. The main concept of this analysis appears to mirror that of the CSDH’s report on “whether science, linked with ethics, can motivate global action, and whether the public scrutiny and deliberation…can meaningfully be brought together in global health policy” (Venkatapuram, 2010, p. 120). The premise behind this concept is that by bringing professionals together to address the strengths and weakness of the model, the theory behind social determinants of health will gain momentum.

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

emphasis was on relationships to family, group and country rather than the development of an

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.

Conditions of birth and people’s growth, lifestyles, occupations and age strongly influence their health. This essay focuses on children between the ages of zero to 19 and examines what the social determinants of health are. Firstly, it attempts to analyse poverty, family violence, addiction and the impacts on the health of younger New Zealanders who are exposed to those determinants. Secondly, strategies, initiatives and prevention services are identified at national, regional and local levels to investigate what the government and other non-government organisations are doing to ensure that the rights of children are being upheld. Children deserve to have the best start in life to enable healthy growth and development of their own special skills and talents. They need warm, healthy homes to live in, good nutritious food to give them energy to grow and learn, and opportunities for education, along with other activities that help them progress through life. They need the support and care of their parents, whanau and communities that have their best interests at heart.

The barriers of mental healthcare access are a notable issue for many Canadians and Canadian youth. Nearly 20% of Canadian youth suffer from a mental illness or disorder, however, only 1 in 5 youth who have a mental illness receive the appropriate mental health care (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2014). These barriers may include structural barriers such as the uninsured costs of mental health services, the long waiting list for services that are insured and attitudinal factors such as fear of stigmatization (Sareen et al. 2007). The barriers of the mental healthcare available to our youth may be a contributing factor as to why suicidal death is the second leading cause of death among Canadians aged 15-24 (Canadian Mental Health Association,

Poverty and war are two social determinants of health that interact directly to shape an individuals life. Eldon Starlight in Richard Wagamese’s Medicine Walk can be identified as an alcoholic who struggles with mental injuries. Many social determinants of health impact Eldon’s health and quality of life, shaping who he is. As we examine the effects of poverty and war we come to understand their influences on Eldon’s life. Poverty and war can have permanently altering effects on an individual’s life.

The World Health Organization has defined health as: “Health is a state of complete physical, psychological, and social wellbeing and not simply the absence of disease or infirmity.” The essay defines the importance of health care why is it important to have a quality health and remain healthy. For remaining health it’s necessary to have a health care plan. This help in giving best and timely treatment which would indirectly help reducing death rate and increase productivity which would help in the progress of the economy.

The social determinants of health are factors that can affect a person’s physical or mental health, A few examples of these factors are; Unemployment, Housing, Education, Lifestyle factors, Transport, Access to health services etc. These types of social factors can lead to insecurity, stress, anxiety, isolation and lack of control of home life, work and health status. These factors contribute to the development

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

Based on World Health Organization statistics, global economic interdependence has led to an astonishing increase of the population and higher standards of living (Who.int, 2016). For instance, Lagos used to have a population of 41,000 in 1900 (Cahoon, n.d.). A century later, Lagos records an astonishing population number of 8 million (World Population Review, 2016). The traveling from one place to another resulted in denser population centers. For instance, China has 150 million people that left the countryside to the cities for the past 20 years (Williams, 2012, 76). Such shift can also be seen mainly in the U.S. and Europe in different work sectors; from agriculture and manufacturing to service – healthcare, retail, education, technology, entertainment and the list can go on. This shift allowed for changing worldviews and especially a change in the psychology of the upper class living in the industrialized world (Stopford, Strange and Henley, 1991, 82-87). Frederic Jameson says “we are… so far removed from the realities of production and work that we inhabit a dream world of artificial stimuli and televised experience” (Jameson, 1972, ‘Preface’ p. xvii). This supports the argument made by many historians who believe that globalization has led to a “celebration of individualism” (Elliott and Lemert, 2009, pp.17). Going back to the Depression and World War II, the population then faced a large-scale collectivist response to an individualistic absence. Part