When people think of the term health most of the time people think of it in terms of the physical aspect. But, really the term health is made up from several different terms such as class, race, gender, education, and income which can all affect a person 's health in many different ways. A person 's health can be affected positively and negatively because of different social determinants. Different scholarly articles and books have taken an approach in tackling the topic of health. They each help the reader determine whether or not an individual controls their bodies and their health. Throughout researching the topic, I 've come to the conclusion that individuals tend to not have control of their bodies and health more-so than having control. …show more content…
As time goes by, a person must care for themselves. As a child begins to grow up their health can be affected by their families race economic status, and even a person 's gender. Since a person cannot control what economic class they are born into, it can cause hardships in regards to an economic standard. Cockerham (p.94) explains how racial inequalities in the United States can effect a person 's health. Some ethnicities such as Asians, are known for having great health and life expectancies, where as African Americans may experience many health issues and have shorter life spans. White Americans and Black Americans life span are different because African Americans are known for having disadvantages with health issues such as AIDS, cancer, and heart disease. On average a typical white man will live to be 76.5 years of age, where as a man of color will typically live to be 71.8. A family of color is usually below the poverty line because of disadvantages in the work force, poor housing, and a poor school district which can lead to a lifetime of health issues (Cockerham, p. …show more content…
Mirowsky and Ross explain how health “increases effective agency” and also helps build “habits, skills, resources, and abilities” that helps a person improve their lives (Mirowksy and Ross, 2010: pg. 33). An example of this statement would be how a student cannot control what school they go to at a young age and who their teach might be. This is easier for a student when the reach adulthood and plan to continue their education to choose these types of things. Ways that a student can control their education at a young age is how hard they work and if they engage in after school activities. By doing activities and trying your best in school, a young person can enrich their study habits which is a skill that can be used later in life. When skills are mastered, a child can have a sense of “personal control” and “healthy lifestyles” which can be used for a lifetime to become problem solvers and be “active and effective agents in their lives” (pg. 35). Personal control is helpful when a person receives a formal education because it helps them learn about “investments in human capital” which can be used in the work force as an adult (p. 34). Human capital is gained when an a individual of population has the skills and knowledge to attain their goals which creates economic
Health Disparities and Racism is an ongoing problem that is reflected among society. Health is when an individual is physically, mentally and social well being is complete. However health disparities seems to be a social injustice within various ethnicities. Health disparities range from age, race, income, education and many other things. Even though we realize health disparities are more noticeable depending on the region of country where they live in. Racism is one of the most popular factors, for why it’s known that people struggle with health.
This includes the ‘new public health approach’. This expressive approach illustrates how ‘the multifaceted relationships between social, environmental, cultural, economic and political determinants affect health, as well as working towards an equality for a better health’ (Keleher & MacDougall, 2011). Likewise, this ‘new public health approach’ interrelates with other diverse approaches, but specifically with the ‘sociological approach’. These dimensions work hand-in-hand, in order to promote a positive lifestyle, by improving the factors in life individuals take for granted, such as an income, education and living and working conditions. A hypothetical example which exemplifies this, is if there were a middle-low class family, who worked long hours of the day for minimal pay due to their lack of education, and were unable to provide a great enough income for the education of their children. However, the government was able to provide the necessity of education for their children. In essence, this would relieve the family’s stress of not being able to provide the income for their child’s education, thus improving the mental health of the family, as well as the social health of the child being able to socialise and making friends in a comfortable, stable
Personal responsibility is crucial for maintaining wellness, I find the multi-causation disease model diagram according to McKenzie et al, a clear distinction of the components the three circles in the model represents, the outer circle covers factors such as economics, environment , health care system, water quality, infectious disease outbreaks and air pollution, these are factors out of an individual’s control, followed by the middle circle which covers personality, beliefs and behavioral choices, this can be altered through choices and specific behavior patterns with the potential to impact health, the inner circle is genetic endowment, the DNA that we inherit. I have based my argument on the middle circle as the bridge to wellness. The obvious is, the outer and inner circles comprises of factors beyond our control. Encouragingly, personality, beliefs, and behavioral choices that represent the circle in the middle has the potential to bridge the gap between what we cannot control and the behavior modification that can impact our genetic endowment for better or worse. From this observation coupled with the public health goal to educate and motivate the population and communities to become proactive in their well-being, the focus of this paper is to highlight the personal inherent qualities, the intangibles that can be cultivated to the state of homeostasis.
Health is a personal feeling of wellness and function that is not the same for everyone.
My concern for Health draws back to the days when I was playful and spoiled my health and finds the intervention to improve health and quality of life through prevention and treatment of disease and other physical and mental health conditions. Now, I look back and wonder how the dimensions of health can encompass "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely t...
I agree with the Dr Raphael video that good health is a vital in every person’s life. When we ask people that how to become healthy the usual response is exercise, healthy diet, avoid alcohol etc but, If someone’s economic status is poor how can they afford healthy diet and if they are not educated how do they know that which food and living condition are good for their health. After watching this video it can be said that the factors which determine the health called ‘social determinants of health’’ plays an important part in our health. Social determinant of health are employment, economic status, education, housing, social exclusion. As mentioned by Dr Raphael that a lot of people are not aware of this fact and it is important to make them
“Wealth equals health.” A statement from Tony Iton in the Unnatural Casual Series “In Sickness and in Wealth.” In my opinion, this proclamation can describe much of America. I disagree with the argument that education is the most important influence on health. Several factors intertwine together to determine someone’s health, but a person’s social status and the social structure of our society are the most important. Social status and the social structure we live in are the most important factors in determining someone’s health because of the location they live in, the amount of stress they have in their lives, and sadly the color of their skin and what ethnicity they belong to.
Many people value health because it goes hand in hand with the level of success one will have in life. The strength of your social, mental, emotional health directly relates to the level of happiness, satisfaction, and contentment you experience in life, as well as your overall health , well-being and productivity. Health is optimum in many things from playing a sport to finding a spouse other than in a hospital setting. When choosing teams for a football one would choose the heftier and for lack of better word the people that look the healthiest. Even when choosing a spouse many males look for females that look that the most youthful and healthy, vice versa. Without health man's purpose would be limited by their illness
The idea of a person’s health varying depending on which race or socioeconomic is a very
On the other hand, there is no denying the huge impact that economic status has on one's life expectancy. In this case, I have concerns about the notion that race and socioeconomic status interact with each other to cause a lesser life
The original definition of health was described as a one dimensional state of being. If a person was void of illness or disease, they were declared healthy. We now understand that health is a multidimensional state of being. It is comprised of three major dimensions: physical, emotional, and social. Physical health speaks to what we eat, our activity levels, taking preventative medications, and whether or not we partake in harmful or risky behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse. Our emotional health is encompassed by how well we deal with our emotions, our stress levels, and our happiness. Our social health includes our ability to maintain healthy social relationships, our socioeconomic status, and the part we play within our community.
Health is described as physical and mental well-being and freedom from disease, pain or defect. However, such descriptions only superficially define the actual meaning of health. There may be many occasions when individuals are not necessarily ill or in pain but may be overweight, stressed or emotionally unstable. Health is a quality of life involving dynamic interaction and interdependence among the individual’s physical state, their mental and emotional reactions, and the social context in which the individual exists. There are many factors that influence your health, but three major components contribute to general well-being: Self-awareness, a balanced diet and, regular physical activity.
“Experts Say People Need to be More Responsible for Own Health.” Wrail. Np. 20 March 2012. Web. 13 March 2014.
There are numerous public health problems that can be addressed in my Southside of Chicago community. Among the several public health problems facing my Southside of Chicago community there are two that are more urgent. Health education or one might say lack thereof is a problem that needs to be addressed. My community is plagued with many of the residents suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, and the killer virus known as HIV. In most cases these conditions can be prevented with healthier lifestyles and access to nutritious organic foods. In addition, environmental health is another urgent problem my community is facing. Access to clean, safe water and air is supposed to be a fundamental human right aimed at a healthy environment. Yet, my community consists a waste contaminated beach, numerous deteriorated building that are still occupied, and a countless number of restaurant and stores supplying our residents with services that are endangering their health.
Every day the choices that people make have an impact on the rest of their life. It all starts with how a person takes care of their own body. Not only does someone’s physical health help them live longer, but so does their mental health. Genetics can also play a large factor in how someone lives their life. If people do not have access to key nutrients or health care professionals, then they might not be as healthy or live as long as they could. There are many practices that people can use to keep their health in check as they grow older. Many of these practices can prevent disorders and diseases that happen later in life. All in all, making healthy choices in every part of one’s life will better the life expectancy.