Social Determinants Of Health Care Literature Review

INTRODUCTION Health is the foremost need of every human being and there are various factors influencing it. Social determinants of health are the emerging topic in present scenario where they have to be considered to ensure good health to everyone. This essay shall focus on this aspect with a detailed description of SDOH in the first section followed by the reasons that exist behind considering income, housing and environment as the major factors. The last section shall deal with real time examples on such factors and their impacts on health conditions. SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH (SDOH)

TASK 1 What are the social determinants of health and how these determinants are linked to Inequality in health outcomes between different social groups? The social determinants of health ranges from factors such as the wider socio-economic context as seen in fig 1, inequality; poverty; social exclusion; socio-economic position; income; public policies; health services; employment; education; housing; transport; the built environment; health behaviours or lifestyles; social and community support networks and stress. The social determinants of health are the circumstances in which people live and work and these circumstances are shaped by economics, policies and politics. It is the duty of the government tackle this social determinant of health

Social determinants of health depend on social, environmental and economic conditions in societies (EuroHealthNet, n.d.). These factors and conditions, together with the age, sex and hereditary factors of a person, are interlinked and influence the health status of the individual, because a person is born, grows, lives, works and ages in these conditions (Equity Action, 2010). The living and working conditions include agriculture and food production, education, work and environment, unemployment, water and sanitation, health care services and housing (Marmot, Health inequalities in the EU, 2013, p. 40). In addition, it is clear that equal access to good health is hard to achieve, and it can be done so, if disadvantages are assessed, and that necessary measures should be taken (Stegeman, Costongs, & Needle,

Sources define the term health disparities as differences between different communities and their health care, as well as the health differences that are linked to disadvantages in communities including age, gender, racial or ethnic group, and geographic locations. Health disparities are directly related to the distribution of social, political, economic, and environmental resources. The CDC explains multiple factors health disparities are caused by including poverty, environmental threats, inadequate access to health care, individual and behavioral factors, and educational inequalities (William, 2011). Inequities in education have a key relationship with health disparities. Adolescents associated with social and health problems tend to drop out of school. It has been proven that good health is associated with academic success. Many health risks have a major impact on how well a child performs in school. Studies show that children lacking education have a higher chance on

Health Care in the US is arguably available to all who seek it but not everybody has had the same experience and treatment when walking through the doors of a healthcare facility. In many cases, people are discriminated against due to their gender, race/ethnicity, age, and income and are often provided with minimal service. Differences between groups in health coverage, access to care, and quality of care is majorly affected through these disparities. Income is a major factor and can cause groups of people to experience higher burden of illness, injury, disability, or mortality relative to another group.

Introduction Health is an important element throughout our life. A person’s health can be affected by many social factors such as gender roles and economic positions. As there are differences in health status between different populations groups, health inequality is then formed, for example, differences in morbidity and mortality rates between people from different social classes. In my essay, I will first define the meaning of ‘health’ from different perspectives. Then, I will talk about how social factors such as gender roles and economic positions determine a person’s health.

The solidity of the health equality shall be implemented by several parties. This includes not only government, political figures or policy makers but also community that play important role as a public health specialist, social activist, and researcher. The key to maintain the health equality can be done by continuously improving the population health and eliminate differences in socioeconomic status, geography, race, and other factors. (1) Health inequality occurs when there is a dissimilarity in distribution of health acquirement between individual or groups that brings considerable drain to their lives. The consequences will be most likely to be severe in people who are less advantageous, experiencing less conducive living condition, poverty-stricken

Health is essential to living a comfortable and fulfilling life, however it’s not granted to everyone as health is determined by various economic and social factors, also known as social determinants of health. Social determinants of health affect the health of the individual, communities and jurisdiction as a whole; consequently it is in charge of determining the extent to which a person can access physical, social and personal resources to health. Understanding social determinants of health will help human service providers such as social workers to have greater awareness on how structural system and social context creates patters of inequalities for certain population, resulting in poor health. Although, it would be incomprehensible

The Issue of the Rich-Poor Gap and How It Effects Health in Canada Trinelle Brown University of Ontario Institute of Technology 100618168 HLSC1811U Social Determinants of Health - Section 004 March 17th, 2017 Introduction This paper will discuss certain social determinants of health and how they affect the health of Canadians. Social determinants of health (SDH) are financial and social conditions that impact the health of people and communities. This paper will also examine the article “Rich-Poor Gap is making Canadians sick” by Rob Rainer and Linda Silas, which discusses the difference of income among Canadians and how it affects their health.

Health care inequality is a prevalent issue in Massachusetts and around the United States. Low-income families and individuals all over the country are barred from receiving adequate and necessary health care due to a lack of insurance or due to restrictive policies in their existing insurance. According to a report done by the Working Poor Families Project in 2013 titled Low-Income Working Families: The Growing Economic Gap, a low-income family is defined as one who earns less than twice the federal poverty line, while a poor family is defined as one who earns less than the federal poverty line. For a family of four with two children to be considered low-income in 2011, the threshold was $45,622, with the federal poverty line being $22,811. (Population Reference Bureau)

As previously described, the United States is the country that spends the most money in health care in the world. For example, just in the year 2008, it spent 16.2 percent of its gross domestic product on health- care (Gaydos 700). Through the population health model, investment and policy decisions in areas such as education, income transfer, civil rights, macroeconomics, employment, welfare, housing, and neighborhoods would have a significant effect on improving a population’s health than increasing the spending on medical services. (Jonas & Kovner 92). Through this model, there might not only be a decrease in what is spent by the country in health care services, but also an improvement in many other areas that would improve the economy of

A link between poverty, low educational attainment and poorer health outcomes with increased morbidity and mortality is well established (Causes of Health Disparities, n.d.). Also, certain religious practices may not allow one person to obtain the believed cure or care needed to prevent certain illnesses and diseases. A lack of income and low educational attainment decreases one 's chances of having quality access to healthcare. If one is not able to afford health care or is ignorant to what the health care field has to offer, illness and disease may build up over time, increasing chances for a health disparity. Gender and age could also cause one not to want to obtain health care, furthermore decreasing their health.

Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Healthy People (2015), these factors underlie preventable disparities in health status and disease outcomes. Poor health outcomes are often the result of the interaction between individuals and their social and physical environment. Policies that result in changes to the social and physical environment can affect entire populations over extended periods of time, while simultaneously helping people to change individual-level behavior. Improving the conditions in which people are born, live, work, and age will ensure a healthier population, thereby improving national productivity, security, and prosperity through a healthier nation. The importance of social determinants of health is growing initiatives to address these determinants of health.

Social causation of disease is described as the origin of illness that results from social environment, social interactions, or social factors. On the other hand, biological factors are not the only cause of disease as social causation and presume that social factors such as socioeconomic status (SES), religion, and social networks have an effect on the severity of illness and mortality. The idea that social interaction and culture play a major role in the causation of disease has been present in social thought since the discussion of the interaction between politics and mortality. Social causes of disease can be divided into fundamental causes and proximate lifestyle causes ( Link & Phelan, 1995). Nevertheless, causes of illness can directly

Health inequalities are preventable and unjust differences in health status experienced by certain population groups. People in lower socio-economic groups are more likely to experience chronic ill-health and die earlier than those who are more advantaged. Health inequalities are not only apparent between people of different socio-economic groups – they exist between different genders and different ethnic groups (“Health inequalities,” n.d.). The situation in which people are born, grow, develop, work and age are affected by social, economic, environmental and most importantly political factors.