Navigating Health Disparities: Understanding The Crucial Role of Social Determinants Of Health
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The environment has a massive role in overall human health. It is best to understand how the various social determinants of health affect us and our well-being in multiple ways. You might wonder, “What are the social determinants of health, and why are they so crucial for human health”?
These determinants are employment, social and economic standards, physical environment, Neighbourhood, etc. Hence, there are the major social determinants that affect your health. These determinants play a vital role in disease and other medical disorders development.
In this article, we’ll learn about the effects of each social determinant of health and how they can be corrected to promote better community health.
What do you mean by social determinants of health?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the various social determinants of health are the environmental factors or conditions in which a human is born. These conditions also affect a human’s work, play, health and learning.
The factors are physical attributes, social engagement patterns and a sense of security. These factors affect the overall quality of life, health and functioning of the body.
When it comes to human health, many factors are responsible for complex medical disorders beyond human control. The various social determinants of health are as follows:
– Genetics
– Economic factors
– Health behaviour or habits
– Social factors
– Healthcare facilities access
– Government regulations
– Environmental factors
The impact of social determinants of health
Here are a few examples of how these social determinants affect human health:
If a person loses their job, they may choose an unhealthy way of coping with it, such as drinking, smoking, stress, and eating unhealthy foods. As a result, these practices invite unwanted health issues such as depression, high blood pressure, overweight issues, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Moreover, social determinants of health, such as social factors and money, also significantly impact health. For instance, if people have inadequate money, they may not have access to healthy food. In addition, inadequate financial resources will lead to unaffordability of education, proper housing and public safety measures.
In a social community, a lack of money or financial resources will also result in no access to parks, recreation halls, playgrounds, local emergency relief facilities and other healthcare services. Hence, there will be a ton of effects of these factors on upcoming generations.
Therefore, having proper social determinants of health is essential for humanity.
Social determinants of health
There is an overlap in the social factors. Hence, it is challenging to attain a certain health standard in society. However, the various social determinants of health, such as socioeconomic status, social support, healthcare access, physical environment, education, and employment, play a vital role.
Here is how each social determinant has a specific impact on human health.
1. Social and economic status
A person’s social and economic status or “socioeconomic status” comprises income or employment. These are highly influenced by the community’s various job opportunities and economic standards.
If the cost of living, medicines and other expenses increases, the demand for available resources increases. Hence, there is an increase in the prices of the resources. Therefore, if the socioeconomic status of a society is low, it can result in poverty and stressful situations.
As a result, the rate of crime, chronic diseases and unhappiness will increase in individuals.
Also, there is an increase in unhealthy lifestyle choices such as smoking and drinking. These choices, in turn, reduce the fertility level and also result in the birth of disabled babies.
Hence, focusing on this social health determinant is essential for the millennials and Gen Z.
Economic stability is achievable with proper employment programs and child health facilities. Concrete policies help citizens earn and pay for rent, food, living and education.
2. Employment
Having stable employment undoubtedly improves income and social standards. However, it also brings along the potential health risks to humans. For instance, if a person is paid a high salary at a factory, they also have to work in a harmful environment. As a result, there is an increase in physical and psychological risks to employee health.
Hence, the offices, companies, and factories must regulate work conditions for employees. It is a crucial social determinant of health.
3. Education
Access to excellent education in childhood and extending into higher studies also has a vital impact on human health. The education quality plays a massive role in determining the health. It determines the literacy rate of vocational and language development. Access to higher education also dramatically impacts the community at a broader level.
If a person isn’t educated, it highly impacts the health literacy and healthcare access of the individual. No access to media and technologies, such as mobile phones and social media, also leads to educational disparities.
4. Social support and networks
To lead a healthy and fulfilling life, you must interact and build relationships with other humans in your community. It is the best way to optimize good health. Engaging with a community also increases the sense of inclusion.
For instance, if a community has discrimination, segregation, and discrimination, it is a sign that it is filled with social stressors. The right community also visualizes marriage as a healthy source of support and healthcare. It also promotes civic participation, social cohesion, and favourable social norms.
Hence, social support is an essential social determinant of health in a community.
5. The neighbourhood
The neighbourhood or surrounding residents also impact transportation, safety, nutrition, and recreation. A neighbourhood must always comprise proper resources and recreational opportunities. Having adequate resources includes integrating parks, pedestals, sidewalks, and playgrounds.
It also impacts public safety and crime rates in the community. If society has woke individuals, there will be less violence and social discrimination. Moreover, the absence of good neighbours will also limit the availability of essential healthcare resources. As a result, it hurts our future generations.
Therefore, having a caring and supportive neighbourhood with an adequate supply of daily needs is essential. The daily needs include healthy food options and local vegetable & fruit market availability. And the absence of this particular social determinant of health will increase the hunger and healthcare deficiencies rate.
The changes to public health and environmental facilities are easy at every level, from local to state to national. For instance, companies can introduce regulated programs to decrease workplace health and safety risks. Moreover, local government can construct pedestrians or sidewalks to decrease accidents.
6. Physical environment
The physical or built environment comprises communities, residential properties, business properties and workplaces. Having high-quality housing facilities will decrease housing instability during natural disasters. A few examples of good physical environment are adequate food, clean drinking water and air.
Moreover, highly crowded environments also increase the risk of transmitted diseases. Covid 19 is an excellent example of this environmental condition. At the same time, environments with zero toxins and low crowds reduce the risk of diseases like lead poisoning and lung cancer.
7. Proper healthcare facilities
In a social environment, the presence of expert and experienced healthcare providers is a necessity. This health specialist must be capable of delivering both preventative care and emergency treatment. Moreover, there should be proper medical and healthcare insurance for older adults.
The healthcare providers should also be available at any time of the day and have proper medical literacy. There should be high-quality care and treatment of patients in healthcare facilities. These facilities should also follow general healthcare implications by the government.
Public health implication is vital in improving healthcare standards and decreasing long-term disparities. Healthcare facilities should also focus on public policies to enhance community health.
Health equity promotion also impacts various health outcomes, such as:
– Mortality rate
– Morbidity rate
– Health status
– Life expectancy
– Functional limitations
– Health expenditure.
What to do to achieve proper healthcare conditions?
If you wish to attain proper healthcare conditions in the community, there should be good facilities such as:
– Healthcare
– Education
– Childcare
– Transportation
– Agriculture
– Housing
– Law
– Media
– Digital technology
– Community planning
Also, when you pay complete attention to working towards the social determinants of health, it is easy to craft strict policies and health standards. It will also help increase and improve the vitality of a community.
Hence, paying attention to every social factor is essential to achieve overall health benefits.
Conclusion
Lastly, evaluating your surrounding social determinants and seeing how they impact your health and well-being in the long run is essential. Specific social determinants of health might be entirely under your control. You can work on such social determinants and positively improve your overall well-being.
However, many social determinants of health are not within human control. For instance, community stress or pressure an entire community face is not in one individual’s hands. Instead, such situations demand proper leadership and social support to work for the betterment of every individual.
Therefore, acknowledgement of such social determinants is essential for complete resource development. It also promotes the good health of the community. Hence, it should be a primary goal of every community and individual to focus on social determinants of health.
