The Importance Of Health

According to Wiley & Allen (2009), health is defined as “a state of complete social, psychological, and physical well-being” (p.12). This shows that health is not pinpointed at a specific race or background but an overall perspective. Come to find out that based on geographical location, family rituals and so many more factors one’s health can be defined as something different. Healthy People 2020 (2014), “The range of personal, social, economic, and environmental factors that influence health status are known as determinants of health.” There are seven categories that determine one’s health: policymaking, social factors, health services, individual behavior, biology and genetics.
First, policymaking is determined on several levels from

Many public health and health care interventions focus on changing individual behaviors such as substance abuse, diet, and physical activity.” It is easier said than done for most because due to other contributing factors they are unable to have access to certain necessities. For example, based on the reading Medical Anthropology (2009), horticulturalists bones contain less zinc where individuals with the lowest level of zinc were more likely susceptible to periosteal infections. Periosteal infections are due to poor circulation and are most frequently common in the tibia and Lallo found that “26% of hunter-gatherer tibias had lesions due to periosteal infection.” Also, with the increase in population density of horticulturalists it has led to more opportunities for diseases to be evident. Concurring to Wiley and Allen (2013), hunting and gathering are something that was never completely abandoned rather that, horticulture was improved through hunted meats and many other resources. This is where Goodman and Armelagos argue that the surplus was used for trade rather than

For example, older adults are biologically prone to being in poorer health than adolescents due to the physical and cognitive effects of aging. Sickle cell disease is a common example of a genetic determinant of health. Sickle cell is a condition that people inherit when both parents carry the gene for sickle cell. The gene is most common in people with ancestors from West African countries, Mediterranean countries, South or Central American countries, Caribbean islands, India, and Saudi Arabia.”
This again shows the geographical, cultural and family background all in one how one health choices are something that can not be controlled. For example, one does not have control over where they live when they’re born, therefore they may and most likely will be exposed to some form of disease if they’re from a third world