Health inequalities are the differences between groups in term of health status. This paper will initially describe the incidence/prevalence and risk factors of stroke, followed by elucidation of inequality in stroke and analysis of its relationship with socioeconomic status (SES). Next, different methods of gauging health inequalities will be scrutinised. Subsequently, the causes of inequality in stroke will be expounded and how each factor creates and maintains the inequality will be elaborated. Lastly, it will be judged if inequality in stroke is an inequity. Globally, 15 million people suffer from stroke annually, 6 million of them die from it and 5 million has to live with disability (World Heart Foundation [WHF], 2015). In New Zealand …show more content…
Hypertension is the major cause of strokes in NZ as 1 in 5 adults suffer from high blood pressure (SFNZ, 2015). Other risk factors include smoking, diabetes, heart disease, age, gender, alcohol use, body mass and ethnicity (Brown, Guy & Broad, 2005). Even after accounting for these medical and behavioural risk factors, socioeconomic status (SES) shows a correlation with the incidence of stroke (Brown et al., 2005). Although there are concrete evidence showing the influence of SES on the inequality of health outcomes, there is no best unified way of measuring inequality as it can only be comprehensively represented through different measures of SES and health such as income, occupation and health outcomes indicators (Davis, McLeod, Ransom, & Ongley, …show more content…
An example of this measure would be British Registrar General Scale, it categorises people into five social classes with respect to social status and skills of occupation, ranging from professionals at the apex to unskilled manuals (Liberatos, Link & Kelsey, 1988). Occupational measures are advantageous as it incorporates job related protective and risk factors such as income, job security, control in work conditions and exposure to stress (Liberatos et al., 1988). Other occupational based measures are New Zealand Socioeconomic Index and Elley-Irving
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are increasingly becoming a major problem of Public Health around the World. The impact of resources and material deprivation among people and populations has resulted in an increase in mortality rate on a planetary scale. Social determinants of health are defined as the personal, social, economic and the environmental conditions which determines the health status of an individual or population (Gardner, 2013). Today’s society is characterized by inequalities in health, education, income and many other factors which as a result is becoming a burden for Public Health around the world. Research studies have shown that the conditions in which people live and work strongly influenced their health. Individuals with high levels of education and fall within the high income bracket turn to have stable jobs, live in the best neighborhood and have access to quality health care system than individuals who have low education and fall with the low income bracket. This paper is to explain different social determinants of health and how they play ...
A stroke can happen at any age but for patients who are 55 and older, their risk factor will increase due to age and physical activity. “While stroke is common among the elderly, a lot of people under 65 also have strokes”(“About Stroke” page 1). Also at risk are African Americans because of other health issues that can trigger a stroke, for example: high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Caucasians and Hispanics are also at. Not only does Ethnicity and age play a factor, but so does other health conditions. Patients who suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, alcohol and drug
Health and inequality have always been two very controversial topics in society. Society tends to classify us into a class (or social class) based on unequal distribution of power, wealth, income, and status (Germov 2015: p. 510). Your socioeconomic status”(SES) is also a major factor in the health inequalities we face in todays society. What does socioeconomic status (SES), even mean?
Ubiquitous throughout history and across cultures is the concept of rich versus poor. Almost all people fall on a spectrum moving from poverty to affluence. A person’s position on this spectrum is labeled by sociologists as their socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic status, often abbreviated as SES, is measured by a person’s income, education, and career. Socioeconomic status is a pinnacle factor in a person’s life, affecting their lifestyle, relationships, and even, as with Dick and Perry, criminal potential. Low socioeconomic status has been shown to correlate with chronic stress, education inequality, and a variety of health problems including hypertension,
Working Group on Inequalities in Health (1982) Inequalities in Health (The Black Report), London, HMSO, 1982.
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Ungen, M. M., Siegel, M. M., & Lauterbach, K. W. (2011). Could inequality in health be cured
The World Health Organisation (2013) explains that an Ischaemic stroke occurs as a result of a blood vessel becoming blocked by a clot, reducing the supply of oxygen to the brain and, therefore, damaging tissue. The rationale for selecting Mary for this discussion is; the author wishes to expand her evidenced based knowledge of stroke since it is the principal cause of disability and the third leading cause of mortality within the Scottish population (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), 2008) and, therefore, a national priority. In response to this priority, the Scottish Government (2009) produced their ‘Better Heart Disease and Stroke Care Action Plan’. Additionally, they have introduced a HEAT target to ensure 90% of stroke patients get transferred to a specialised stroke unit on the day of admission to hospital (Scottish Government, 2012).
Socio-economic class or socio-economic status (SES) may refer to mixture of various factors such as poverty, occupation and environment. It is a way of measuring the standard and quality of life of individuals and families in society using social and economic factors that affect health and wellbeing ( Giddens and Sutton, 2013). Cockerham (2007 p75) argues: ‘Social class or socioeconomic status (SES) is the strongest predictor of health, disease causation and longevity in medical sociology.’ Research in the 1990s, (Drever and Whitehead, 1997) found out that people in higher SES are generally healthier, and live longer than those in lower SES.
Steinbach, R (2009) Equality, equity and policy [online] Health Knowledge. Available at: http://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook/medical-sociology-policy-economics/4c-equality-equity-policy/inequalities-distribution [Accessed 3 January 2012]
Gavin Turrell, B. F. (1999). Socioeconomic Determinants of Health:Towards a National Research Program and a Policy and Intervention Agenda. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology.
Stroke has been classified as the most disabling chronic disease, with deleterious consequences for individuals, families, and society1. Stroke impacts on all domains in the ICF. The body dimension (body functions and structures), the individual dimension (activity), and the social dimension (participation). All domains influence each other2.
Public health as it is implicated in the lives of the community – it is important to conceptualise what this might mean. Moreover, public health has seen as a multidiscipline perspective in which it can be defined on many levels, and I find that it could be elusive to understand its meaning. By simple understanding of public health, I refer to an approach derived by Winslow (1920) and Baggott (2000).
Stroke is a serious medical condition that affects people of all ages specifically older adults. People suffer from a stroke when there is decreased blood flow to the brain. Blood supply decreases due to a blockage or a rupture of a blood vessel which then leads to brain tissues dying. The two types of stroke are ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. An ischemic stroke is caused by a blood clot blocking the artery that brings oxygenated blood to the brain. On the other hand, a hemorrhagic stroke is when an artery in the brain leaks or ruptures (“About Stroke,” 2013). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of adult disability” (“About Stroke,” 2013). Stroke causes a number of disabilities and also leads to decreased mobility in over half of the victims that are 65 and older. The CDC lists several risk factors of stroke such as heredity, age, gender and ethnicity as well as medical conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and excessive weight gain that in...
Step 1: Topic 1; Significant concerns confronting Australian society are the inequities in health between socioeconomic (SES) groups which result in lower SES groups having significantly higher rates of morbidity and mortality at an earlier age. Follow table 1 to apply the SI template to analyse the construction of this problem for a disadvantaged group in Australia and reflect on the social model of health to reduce these inequities.