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socioeconomic determinants of health essay
socio economic factors affecting health
impacts of lower socioeconomic status on health
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Substantial evidence is increasing, giving the Minister of Health more reason to believe housing, income, employment and education, abbreviated as the socioeconomic determinants of health, are to some degree responsible for poor health and inequalities (Public Health Advisory Committee PHAC, 2004). The purpose of this assignment is to discuss these four determinants and how they impact health from the Public Health Advisory Committee’s perspective. Employment and housing will be discussed in further detail as well as government policies, strategies or legislations will be included. To conclude this assignment a brief reflection will be made as to why understanding the socioeconomic determinants have a connection with providing quality nursing care.
Housing; “involves both a side (dwelling) and a situation (neighbourhood)” (National Advisory Committee on Health and Disability NHC, 1998, p. 30). Housing is a key aspect towards poverty, in turn has a connection with inadequate health (PHAC, 2004). This relates strongly with quality of housing. People live in properties that are cold and damp which are not insulated. Therefore, these factors promote susceptibility to disease, particularly in younger children (PHAC, 2004). Another contributing factor is that majority of household income is spent on rent or mortgages which could leave many families with less funds to spend on essential items or in some cases resort to overcrowding or ‘temporary accommodation’ such as garages or caravans (PHAC, 2004).
Income is defined as “money received, especially periodically, from work or investments” (Swannell, 1986, p. 272). As outlined by PHAC (2004), income is “the strongest predictor in health” (p. 20). Statistical evidence s...
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...er public services. Retrieved from http://www.national.org.nz/PDF_General/Housing_policy.pdf
National Advisory Committee on Health and Disability. (1998). The social, cultural and economic determinants of health in New Zealand: Action to improve health. Wellington, New Zealand: National Advisory Committee on Health and Disability.
Swannell, J. (Ed.). (1986). The little oxford dictionary of current English (6th ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
The Public Health Advisory Committee. (2004). The health of people and communities. A way forward: Public policy and the economic determinants of health. Wellington, New Zealand: The Public Health Advisory Committee.
Unitec. (2012). HEAL5020: The Sociological Perspective: Society Groups Individuals. Auckland, NZ: Mullard, T.
Unitec. (2012). HEAL5020: Work and Economic Life. Auckland, NZ: Mullard, T.
Social determinants of health have attracted the attention of governments, policy makers and international health organisations over the last three decades (Hankivsky & Christoffersen 2008). This is because social conditions which people are born in, live and work play an important role in their health outcomes (WHO 2015). According to Kibesh (1200) social determinants drive health disparities, disrupts the human developmental process and undermine the quality of life and opportunities for people and families (ref). Thus, several theories have been developed over the years to provide in-depth understanding of the social determinants of health and to reduce health inequalities (Hankivsky & Christoffersen, 2008). However, there is still significant
People living in areas such as Playford, has shown to have a lower socioeconomic position, which made them at highest risk of poor health (WHO, 2017). Then, the social determinants of health support the understanding the difference between populations health levels, but also the reasons behind why some groups are healthier than others (Marmot, 2005) and the issue becomes a little bit deeper as people living in different areas related to others differently, so then the social stratification of health is affected by differences in gender, marital status, residential areas and ethnicity (Elstad,
Mary Louise Fleming, E. P. (2009). Introduction to Public Health. Chatswood, NSW, Australia: Elsevier Australia.
Social Determinants of health is the “conditions in which people are born, live, work and age that affect their health” Healthypeople.gov. (2017). Social Determinants of Health | Healthy People 2020. [online] Available at: https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-of-health [Accessed 22 Sep. 2017]. The determinants of health are important because it helps create policies to make changes, as well as improving public health conditions by addressing the different health outcomes an individual can face and improving the need for healthier conditions. Healthy People 2020 organizes the determinants of health in both a social and physical determinant which has an impact on health.
Also, changing their perceptions about their health and to overcome the issues that restrict them from having a healthy lifestyle. (Lapkin & Doab 2015) Moreover, nurses can prevent illness in the community to worsen and assist them to manage their health. Nurses will have a better understanding of the factors that may influence the patient’s behaviour which can be used to assess them to provide them with better treatment. Further, fulfilling the patient’s needs, preventing further damage to their health while promoting a healthy environment. (Stein-Parbury 2014) Nurses may also promote health equity effectively, in addressing the social determinants of health in public health policies and research to increase health of the community and educate others in taking responsibility of their health, to reduce illness and disease in the community. (Lapkin & Doab
Bonnefoy et al (2004) said that housing affects health in many ways which he split down into main factors, housing standards, social environment and housing
...an, P., Egerter, S., & Williams, D. R. (2011). The social determinants of health: coming
Wilkinson, R. M. (2003). Social determinants of health - the solid facts. [S.l.]: World Health Organization.
The essay will be looking at , poverty, employment and unemployment, poor diets as determinants of health in this context amongst other factors such as housing, mental health, social support network, education, culture, individual behaviours, genetics, gender because they have the best documented evidence on research in health inequalities in Britain available in the Black Report (DHSS 1980; Townsend, Davidson and Whitehead, 1992), Acheson Report (Acheson 1998), and FairSociety, HealthyLives Report, and other academic sources.
Marmot in his famous article titled Social Determinants of Health Inequalities firmly stated that actions targeted to improve healthcare access should not be focused only on healthcare system but rather on the social determinants of health. Marmot reiterated that health inequalities, disparities and social determinants of health are totally preventable through more inclusive wider social policies. He insists that inequalities of health between and within geographical areas can be reduced through positive actions.3 And such actions should be focused towards improving the social determinants of health in all areas to give everyone equal access to healthcare services.2-3 Explaining that lack of healthcare access are driven by SDOH, Marmot further argues that health cannot be improved by itself alone, but by enhancing those factors that determine health.
The health of an individual and their communities is affected by several elements which combine together. Whether an individual is healthy or not, is determined by their circumstances and environment.1 To a greater extent, factors such as where an individual lives, their relationships with family and friends, the state of their environment, income, genetics and level of education all have significant impacts on health, however the more frequently considered factors such as access and use of health care facilities regularly have less of an impact.6 Determinants of health is a term which was introduced in the 1970s as part of a broader analysis of research and policy on public health. Researchers argued that there was a lot of attention and too much expenditure on health being dedicated to individuals and their illnesses, and little or no investment in populations and their health. It was decided that public health should be more concerned with social policies and social determinants than with health facilities and the outcomes of diseases.7 The determinants of health include social and economic environment, physical environment and an individual’s behaviour and characteristics. The environment of an individual determines their health, holding responsible an individual for having poor health or acknowledging them for good health is inappropriate. Individuals are not likely to be able to control several of the determinants of health. These determinants that make individuals healthy or not include the factors above, and numerous others.6
Social determinants of health has been a large topic for many years and can have a positive and negative effect on individuals, families and communities. (World Health Organisation, 2009) The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, including the health system. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels, which are themselves influenced by policy choices. Social determinants have many factors and in this essay education will be the main social determinant of health discussed and how this could have an impact on the physical and mental sides of health.
This essay will discuss, illustrate and evaluate the following statement: inequalities in health are increasing in the 21st century. The focus will be on one of the key determinants of health inequality, social class, specifically in the UK.
Beitsch et al. (2006) also conveys the main functions of state public health institutions, which include the assessment of diseases, policy development, and the commitment to health protection and promotion activities. While Brumback and Malecki (1996) reveal that the role of public health agencies is to assess and analyse public health problems, form policies, layout development, and implement
Therefore, providing culturally appropriate services for people has significant role for health professional; the main reasons of this is culturally appropriate services are link inextricably with the health of the client. According to Oda & Rameka (2012), in 1980s, Maori were experience racial discrimination and poor health outcomes, such as mental illness, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer, mortality, and health-risk behaviors such as tobacco and alcohol consumption. This is results of unfair health service and Maori could not access the health information and there was poor health literacy at that era and they were not able to understand different disease and lack of health education of living with a health lifestyle (Oda & Rameka, 2012). A classic example can be seen in the consumption of tobacco and alcohol, at the era, people did not know the repercussion of tobacco and alcohol use but if they were able to access the information they would understand the information. Therefore, Maori life expectancy has remained steady or declined, while other non-Maori life expectancy increase(Oda & Rameka, 2012). Hence, health professionals should ensure every ethic groups have the same right to access the information of health and have fair treatment and health