Social Determinants Of Health (SDOH)

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

Introduction Primary care is said to be the “first point of contact” for people when accessing the health care system in Ireland (Department of health and children 2001). The World health organisation(1978) outline that one of the main roles of primary health care is to provide access to care for the most vulnerable but also to identify and rectify the factors which lead to their early mortality. The Alma Ata declaration (1978) was a huge milestone in the development of primary care and they explain how essential it is for all populations’ health. Unfortunately the vulnerable populations in Ireland suffer the effects of the social determinates and also the health inequalities and die younger because they put up with a healthcare system which “places lesser value on the lives of those with lesser means” (Wren 2002).

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.

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.

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,

  Commission on Social Determinants of Health.  Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health; final report of the Commission on Social Determinants of Health.  Geneva: World 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.

The population health determinant is an ongoing discussion with the United States health care system. According to Knickman & Kovner (2015) social determinant of health (SDOH) are the “circumstances in which people are born, grow up, live, work and age, and the system in place to deal with illness” (Knickman & Kovner, 2015, p. 80). The peer-reviewed article I chose is a social determinant of health related to obesity. The ability to understand the realm of population health depends on understanding the environmental connections related to biological, behavioral, physical, access, and social determinant (Knickman & Kovner, 2015).

Epidemiologists have known that poverty is interrelated with higher morbidity and mortality rates. Recent research has suggested a positive

Annotated Bibliography Marmot, M. (2005). Social determinants of health inequalities. The Lancet, 365, 1099 1104. This journal article illustrates that many countries have enormous disparities in health.

These Social Determinants of Health may all relate to each other in some ways but may also have no relation to each other at all. However, examining them will let us determine whether this is true or not and will enable us to conclude whether specific determinants of health have an effect on others. Analyzing these determinants of health will also provide us with information that may or may not link them to specific health conditions and diseases which is an interesting area as we move forward in the industry of health and wellbeing.

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.

Contribution to health of a population also derives from social determinants of health like living conditions, nutrition, safe drinking water, sanitation, education, early child development and social security measures. According to major health indicators like immunization of infants, nutrition level in children and women, supplementation of food and its equity among all, India holds the low position compared to even Sub-Saharan African countries and Conflict ravaged countries like Afghanistan and Haiti and even from the neighboring South Asian countries like Bangladesh. (UNICEF Report

The individual lifestyles are the decisions, and habitat that usually result in health, illness, or even death. Some examples are cigarette smoking, diets, and physical activities (Evans & Stoddart, 1990). The environment is the elements or events that relate to health which are external to the body. In environmental determinants of health, the individual may have little or no control, which comprise of physical and social dimensions example are individual social class, being born in to a high class family, very rich or well to individuals ((Evans & Stoddart, 1990). Lastly is the organization of health care services variable consists of the quality, quantity, availability of resources, and personal relationships in the delivery of health care.