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Social determinants of health conclusion
Essays on the social determinants of health
Social determinants of health conclusion
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The main factors that protect and promote good health are known as social determinants of health (National Health Committee, 1998). This essay discusses how the social determinants of health such as a poor social and physical environment, income, health literacy, poor access to primary health care, poor parenting, heredity affect Maori children which results in high rates of asthma (McMurray & Clendon, 2012). The essay will further discuss prostate cancer among Maori and non-Maori men in New Zealand. Maori children are more prone to asthma due to lack of education, poor parenting and poverty. Asthma is two times more common in boys than in girls (Ministry of Health [MOH], 2016a). According to MOH (2015b), “Asthma affects nearly one in five …show more content…
It is more common in men aged 65 years or older. The latest statistics shows that prostate cancer among Maori men is 414.7 per 100,000 and 328.8 per 100,000 for non-Maori population (MOH, 2015a). Heredity plays an important role in prostate cancer, if there is a family history of prostate cancer then next generation is more likely to develop it (MOH, 2016b). Low socioeconomic status also affect the social determinants of health because men with a low income often do not have a healthy diet or healthy living styles which affect their health as well as their children’s health. Health literacy plays an important role in early detection and prevention of prostate cancer. If they do not have enough knowledge and education about prostate cancer they cannot recognise early signs and symptoms. Men often feel shy to talk about prostate cancer and early screening which results in poor access to health services (McMurray & Clenton, 2012; MOH, 2016). Working conditions often affect the health, for example; exposure to chemicals or radiations may cause DNA mutations (American Cancer Society,
The social determinants of health play an important role regarding the lifestyle and health status of populations, therefore influence on their health (Dahlgren & Whitehead, 1991). In this case, analysing South Australia there are clear indications that the residents from Playford are living in poor conditions which determine their poor health outcomes than the Adelaide Hills which people are placed in a better health
“The health of individuals and populations is influenced and determined by many factors acting in various combinations. Healthiness, disease, disability and, ultimately, death are seen as the result of … human biology, lifestyle and environmental (e.g. social) factors…” (Mary Louise Fleming, 2009) There are many unchangeable contributing factors that play a role in a person’s health condition, this can be anything from the gender and location that they were born into, to genetic impairments and the lifestyle that their parents raised them in or even government policies; but for as many unchangeable factors, there are also changeable factors. In Mr. A’s case he was born from Pacific Islander descent, therefore it can be assumed that he was born into an obese family with little money, and was raised in poorer living conditions than the average Australian. Due to this, his health is expected to be worse that the average Australian because his social determinants make it so. He is now a full-grown man with a family, but still lives in problematic conditions due to his upbringing and culture along with the minimal to no levels of prevention shown. There are many risk factors that have affected Mr. A’s health due to the social determinants that he has been faced with such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, etc. There are also upstream and downstream factors affecting his health, “While upstream and midstream determinants influence the type, likelihood, number and severity of diseases that affect a person, downstream inequities come into play when a person becomes ill.” (AMA, 2007). These factors have had a major role in the result of his heart attack. Finally, his level of prevention exhibited is a key aspect on how much of an eff...
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 ...
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
Zenka, D. (2012, October 05). African Americans: At Higher Risk for Prostate Cancer. Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF). Retrieved May 25, 2016
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.
For these reasons, minorities often put off the expense of seeing a doctor until they have advanced disease and are past being easily treated. A lack of education, rural or inner city residence, unemployment, and low literacy rate may also contribute to higher cancer mortality rates for some communities. In several studies researchers investigates whether socioeconomic status is the reason for the disparity in prostate cancer incidence, where African Americans and Non- Hispanic Whites are the top two candidates for prostate cancer. Some results found that the highest level of cancer incidence was positively correlated with low socioeconomic status (Cheng, et al.,
Socioeconomic Disparities and health are growing at a rapid rate throughout the United States of America. To further understand the meaning of Socioeconomic Disparities, Health and Socioeconomic disparities & health, this essay will assist in providing evidence. Disparities can be defined in many ways, of which include ethnic and racial background and class types that deal with it the most. Due to the low income some individuals receive, they have less access to health care and are at risk for major health issues. Although, ethnicity and socioeconomic status should not determine the level of health care one should receive or whether not the individual receives healthcare.
The determinants of health normally reflect the conditions within which people are born and continue on with their basic life. Determinants of health are also the factors that contribute to a person 's current state of health (Juha Mikkonen and Dennis Raphael 2014).The factors are behavioral, biological, social in nature, socioeconomic or psychosocial (Juha Mikkonen and Dennis Raphael 2014). Homelessness is not one problem, homelessness is many different kinds of problems involving many different kinds of people. Each of the homeless people has different reasons(James D. Wright 2005) Homeless people health may be influenced by the social determinants of health. This paper will discuss the three social determinants of health, social exclusion, income and social status and housing. According to Shaurya Taran, the only solution for some clients is to build new homeless shelters (Shaurya Taran 2016). Homeless shelters would effectively remove homeless clients from the street. They may also provide a more predictable daily routine(Shaurya Taran 2016).
A person’s health along with the health of a community are influenced heavily by the social determinants of health. These determinants create a strong foundation for a healthy and proper development of a community (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2013). Further, a proper foundation will allow the children within the community to develop properly, which will foster their potential for intellectual and physical intelligence. This paper will explore the effects of healthy childhood development, personal health practices and coping skills, health services and income and social statuses with in the Maple Leaf neighbourhood. Further, this paper will explore how the above social determinants of health directly affect the students of St. Fidelis school. Lastly, this paper will explain how the rise in cavities within these children is an issue as well as approached to overcome this issue.
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.
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.
Over the years, the social determinants of health (SDOH) have been receiving more attention due to its importance in determining peoples’ health access, health quality and health outcome. The social determinants of health have been described by various scholars as the situation or environmental condition in which people are born, or where they grow, live and work; unfortunately these conditions have continued to affect and determine people’s ability to access proper care.1-5 In other words, the SDOH continues to consciously and unconsciously influence people’s access to most opportunities in life including access to healthcare services both in developed and developing countries.2 This issues have continue to deteriorate in most developing countries increasing people’s susceptibility to multi-morbidity among different age groups, with a slight increase among the elderly.6
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
Prostate cancer is a leading cause of mortality and medical expense in men age forty and above. However, it has only recently become a topic of conversation to men in America (Plowden, 2009). African-American men are affected by prostate cancer at a disproportionate level over all other men. They are diagnosed up to 65% more frequently and the mortality rate is twice that of their Caucasian counterparts (Emerson, 2009). So why is the African-American male less likely to take advantage of prostate cancer screenings even when it is free (Oliver, 2007)?