In chapter 2, of Essentials of the U.S Health Care System, Shi and Singh both talk about focusing on determinants to improve health. Having adequate health insurance for everyone is a great start to improving one’s health, but the bigger issue is addressing the needs of the people who have low income or the needs for different ethnic groups. In the documentaries, Bad Sugar, Becoming American, Collateral Damage and In Sickness and In Wealth, they all touched on social determinants. It did not matter if you lived in the United States, a third world country or a reservation, they all expressed a need the can better their health. The biggest need which they all discussed was food and the lack there of. Different cultural groups are coming to America
are having a hard time adjusting to a western diet, which is contributing to them having health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. In many urban neighborhoods there are more fast food restaurants than supermarket. I know of a few lower class neighborhoods in Philadelphia that do not have a supermarket. Neighborhoods need supermarkets so the community can have health food choices. Watching these documentaries made me think about a quote by Benjamin Franklin “An ounce of prevent is worth a pound of cure.” If the government or politicians give healthy food resource that people need that will help with some of the health issues.
According to the World Health Organisation (2017) the social determinants of health are defined as the conditions where people are born, grown, work and live, which also includes the health system. The social determinants of health determined populations health’s outcomes and therefore linked with health inequalities (WHO, 2017)
the growing concern about the quality of food in America the government took action to
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 ...
Wilkinson, R. M. (2003). Social determinants of health - the solid facts. [S.l.]: World Health Organization.
Although authors Canning & Bowser wrote the article “Investing in Health to Improve the Wellbeing of the Disadvantaged” to oppose Marmot’s article “The Marmot Review,” their above quote also debate points raised by other public health researchers such as Brunner and Krieger. The quote states that the health disparities from different populations results from lack of access to quality and affordable healthcare. This is partially true, but as the analyses of Marmot & Brunner and Krieger suggest, social exclusion due to race and economic status, the population’s work and childhood environment, in addition to other social factors, lead to problems in the medical care system (Marmot 3). In other words, health gradient is not only an indication of health systems failing but is also a result
Health inequality is part of American life, intertwined and entangled with other social problems; gaps in income, education, age, race and gender. Gaps that social analysts cannot say for sure which factors are cause and which are effect. The unclear outcome is a huge chicken-and-egg puzzle, its solution reaching beyond health care. Because of that, everyday realities often control whether people live in health or in illness, to a ripe old age or early death. Clearly, poverty affects some groups more than others. The relationships between social class and general well being are persistent and troublesome; even in the twenty first century, life looks different for those belonging to upper and middle social classes compared to the lower social classes (Parsons 1942: 7).
Wilkinson, R.G. & Marmot, M.G. 2003, Social determinants of health: the solid facts, World Health Organization.
...health and their life expectancy is also higher than black, poor, and/or unemployment people since there are no accumulation of stresses, and they have enough resources to control their daily stress. To solve this problem, based on the documentary series, reduction of the gap between poor and rich people should be considered by educational long-term investment (providing free college education), making life better for families with young children, and eliminating racism (California Newsreel, 2008). In my opinion, the health insurance system should be controlled by the U.S. government, like the health insurance system in Europe, so everyone will have health insurance with an acceptable price.
The individuals that are part of the special population each carry a unique set of needs. The best way to complete such a task is applying non prejudice judgments. Also, the poor is more susceptible to having a part time job and or working for a smaller organization which in turn leads to unable to pay for health coverage. Many Americans will opt out of insurance because of the cost or some employers simple do not offer insurance. The United States at this point is trying to resolve the complex challenges that is rising in health care. Accessing health care resources is furthermost essential contribution factor for ethnic disparities in health. Reduced access to care is in part caused by difficulties within the minority’s
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
Woolf, S. & Braveman, P., 2011. ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY: Where Health Disparities Begin: The Role Of Social And Economic Determinants—And Why Current Policies May Make Matters Worse. Health Aff, 30(10).
It is the first point contact with health services, it make possible entry to the rest of the health care system for those people who need it. Other developed nations have attained universal and fair access to primary health services, some of them directly provided and others through assurance of financial coverage for visits (van Doorslaer, Koolman, and Jones 2004). In the United States, socially disadvantaged populations are more likely than advantaged population to lack a regular source of healthcare. The beneficial impact of health insurance in the United States is largely to ease access to primary care (Starfield and Shi 2004; Lillie Blanton and Hoffman 2005). In the deficiency of health insurance, socially disadvantaged population groups are less likely...
These conditions have been referred to as the social determinants of health. There has been a strong push amongst policy to study the non-medical health as opposed to the traditional way of thinking with regards to medical treatments or lifestyle choices (Mikkonen, Raphael 2010). Income and income distribution is thought to be the most important of the social determinants of health because it further influences other social determinants of health. For example, low-income families live under awful conditions which makes it very difficult for families to be able to afford the basic necessities of life such as food, clothing and housing (Kekkonen, Raphael 2010). Studies have shown that suicide rates and the onset of many diseases such as diabetes and heart disease is significantly more prevalent amongst low income families and people. This is why people from around all world need to support families and people living in such awful conditions. 663 million people - 1 in 10 - lack access to safe water, and globally, 1/3 of all schools lack access to safe water and adequate sanitation. These numbers could easily decrease if countries such as the US and people like us take a stand and help. People living in impoverished countries often die from curable diseases. Diseases such as Malaria and Trachoma. In 2013 an estimated 198
According to a new paper in the journal Health Affairs, 38.2% of the poorest third of Americans reported a fair or poor health, compared to only 12.3% of the richest third. This income-based disparity in healthcare is one of the worst ones when compared to 11 similar countries, including Britain, France, and Norway (Khazan). The health of the financially challenged is the central indicator for progress as, "the test for our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have little" (Roosevelt). A healthy population is key to the progress of the entire country as a good health is the most important possession one can
In my opinion, in order to deal with our nations issue with disease and illness we need to first address the chronic poverty seen across the United States. In this article by Leatherman it is explained that the impacts poverty has on an individual’s health also are catalysts for the disease as stated in the PowerPoint “Ecology of Disease, Ethnomedicine, and The Social Construction of Illness. Which makes sense because poverty ridden families are more likely to eat foods low in nutrients, have a gym membership, proper hygiene and less probability of receiving the proper health care and yearly