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Social factors in health and disease
Impact of social determinants on health
Thesis of Social Determinants of Health
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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 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 …show more content…
Thus, this is an indication that potentially people from Playford are affected by the social and economic determinants of health, which can be linked to increasing unhealthy lifestyles, increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, increase the risk to develop diabetes, etc. (Walker, et.al, …show more content…
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,
Wilkinson, R. G., & Marmot, M. G. (2003). Social determinants of health: The solid facts.
Richard G. Wilkinson, M. G. (2003). The Social Determinants of Health: The Solid Facts. Denmark: World Health Organization.
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.
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
The Social Determinants of Health are certain circumstances that have an effect on the health and overall well being of humans and their own commonalities in terms of financial and societal situations. The reason why it is essential for us to pass beyond considering women’s health and access to health care as individual or biological problems is because women bear unique health needs yet so much health systems are not even acknowledging them. There are situations only females experience that have bad health affects, such as childbirth and pregnancy, although they aren't diseases, physiological and social tactics carry many health jeopardies depend upon health care. Gender based inequalities
Wilkinson, R.G. & Marmot, M.G. 2003, Social determinants of health: the solid facts, World Health Organization.
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.
According to marmot report, “inequalities are a matter of life and death”. Health inequality affects everyone except those at the very top of the social ladder. This is because health is socially graded – people farther down the social ladders are less healthy and have a shorter life expectancy as those at the top. Health Inequalities exist due to the unequal distribution of health in the society – “in the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age”.(2) Recent evidence shows that “socioeconomic factors such as income, wealth and education as the fundamental causes of wide range of health outcomes”.(3) For example in the UK, the rate of obesity has increased among adults in each social class, with the high increasing rate among the lower class. This inequality is stronger for women than men and also more among girls than
...an, P., Egerter, S., & Williams, D. R. (2011). The social determinants of health: coming
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
There are many dimensions of inequality, which have the greatest impact on health outcomes. These dimensions are class, sex and gender and ethnicity. The health outcomes are different for each country. World Health Organisation defines 'health ' as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease of infirmity" (1948). John Germov (2013, p. 16) wrote a chapter on ‘Imagining Health Problems as Social Issues’ in Second Opinion: An Introduction to Health Sociology, he mentions the ‘social model of health’ where the social determinants of health, which are economic, social and cultural factors, are being looked at closely to how these factors are linked to focus on preventing the illness.
The social model focus is on policies, education and health promotion and goes beyond the focus of lifestyles and behaviour and accepts the need for social change to provide prerequisites for health. It was developed in the late 1970’s 1980’s as some members of the community were not experiencing the same levels of health as others despite the understanding of the impact of lifestyle and behaviours on health.