Determinants Case Study

Determinants are factors that can increase an individual’s or population’s chance of ill health or good health (AIHW, 2016). They can be subdivided into three areas; social, behavioural and biomedical (AIHW, 2016). Here we look at Sam, a 19-year-old and the effects of his determinants on his health.

From the three areas of determinants, the most influential and compound are social determinants (CSDH, 2008; Wilkson & Marmot 2003). Several social determinants are present in Sam’s case study. Sam still lives with his parents meaning he has a support system at home. Along with Sam’s family, he has a small group of friends which he catches up with every weekend. Having a support system whether it be family or friends is beneficial to maintaining

Sam had a part-time work which has a positive impact on his health. Employment has many beneficial effects such as instilling self-esteem, sense of identity, social interactions and financial security (CSDG, 2008). However, even after increasing his hours at work, Sam was unable to get full time work. This would affect Sam’s social interactions as he could not financially afford weekends with his friends. Sam was fired from his job as result of his behavioural determinant; skipping shifts at work. This would have negatively impacted Sam as unemployed is linked to higher risk of death, more illness, physiological consequences and financial problems (Mathers &

Sam suffers from an eating disorder and his poor eating patterns can have a detrimental effect on Sam’s physical wellbeing as his body is not receiving the proper nutrients it needs. This could induce other serious medical conditions and cause complications to his body. Eating disorders also affect the person’s mental health meaning Sam could be going through psychological distress which could prompt him to distance himself from his social interactions.

Additionally, Sam has been feeling tired all the time. Tiredness would mean that Sam has less motivation and that he is not performing to his full ability. This could lead to Sam reduction in undertaking physical activities causing a negative influence on his health.

In Sam’s case study, there are behavioural determinants that have impacted his health. Sam does not undertake much physical activity however he does walk 15 minutes to and from his work. Inadequate levels of physical activity have been associated with many health issues such as high blood pressure, Dyslipidaemia, impaired glucose regulation and obesity (AIHW, 2016). The recommended amount of physical activity for Sam’s age is 150 minutes of moderate physical activity and 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity each week which he doesn’t achieve in his 15 minutes of walking (AIHW,