Health Determinants And Wellness Promotion Essay

Health Determinants and Wellness Promotion
The determinants of health are factors that can affect the health and well-being of individuals and populations. Health determinants includes risk factors and barriers that can negatively affect an individual health. Understanding the determinants of health is important for positive inventions necessary to improve health and longevity. In 1974, H.L. Blum, proposed an “Environment of Health” model, that implied there are four major inputs that contributed to health and well-being (Shi et al. 2015). The main components are environment, lifestyle, heredity, and medical care. Together these components address the health status of an individual or a population (Shi et al. 2015). There is no single pathway

Genetic factors predispose individuals to certain diseases. Some biological and genetic factors affect specific populations more than others. For example, sickle cell is a condition that individuals inherit when both parents carry the gene for sickle cell (“Determinants of Health”). The gene is most common in people with ancestors from West African countries, Mediterranean countries, South and Central countries, Caribbean islands, and India (“Determinants of Health”). For the individuals are predisposed to certain disease, access to medical care can help manage and control

As risk factors and diseases can begin early in life, wellness promotion and disease prevention efforts are significant for delaying premature death, delaying premature death, improving quality of life, and lessening the economic burden on the health care system (Slawson, et al. 2013). Regular health assessments are key elements of wellness promotion and disease prevention. When an individual has established a relationship with a primary care provider, that provider can look for changes through regular screening. When a person visits their physician at least once a year, the individual can reduce the risks of a health issue going undetectable. According to 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, 40% of those with diabetes were undiagnosed and one in three Americans were found to be at risk for diabetes based on impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance (Slawson, et al. 2013). According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, dietary interventions have shown promise for primary prevention of some types of disease, such as diabetes and cancer (Slawson, et al. 2013). Physical activity also play an important role in disease prevention. The prevalence of osteoporosis had been estimated 8% among US women 20% years of age and older (Slawson, et al. 2013). Prevention of fractures had been found to be strongly related to calcium and vitamin D