Running head: SOCIAL DETERMINANTS AND HEALTH

Impact of the Social Determinants on Health: A Reaction Paper Assignment 2 SSCI412: Social Sciences & Medicine Janeel Cowan St Georges University March 10th, 2013

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS AND HEALTH The Impact of the Social Determinants on Health Imagine someone who has grown up in the slumps of South Asia, currently unemployed and struggling to provide food for them and their family. Then compare this person to someone who is wealthy, who has grown up in the glamorous Hollywood hills and

has no trouble accessing the best health care needed. Wouldn't these two persons on opposite ends of the globe have differing health statuses? Health could be influenced by many factors ranging from social, economic to even environmental; just to name a few. This is because according to the World Health Organization health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This knowledge has been researched for many years so much so that it is now termed by the sociologists as the health determinants because (Wilkinson & Marmot, 2003). The social determinants of health include family background, living and working conditions and a persons age. These all have a powerful impact on an individuals health. As such, this paper seeks to explain how these factors influence health so that this knowledge could be used to improve the provision of health care. Firstly, family plays an integral role in influencing the lifestyle and health status of its individual members (Wilkinson & Marmot, 2003; Ehrenberg & Ault, 2005). With family being the primary institution of socialization, it is at this stage of early development that children learn cultural values, attitudes, skills, behaviours and habits that would continue with them into adulthood. Thus, the environment in which a child is raised has the ability to profoundly impact a persons health status as it can promote a healthy lifestyle and decrease the risk of illness and disease (Wilkinson & Marmot, 2003, p. 14). During socialization, parents are the primary decision makers with regards to health choices. Parents influence a childs ability to access health care, eating and exercise habits,

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS AND HEALTH social and emotional support as well as exposure to substance use or abuse, both before and after birth. These decisions are made based on the familys socioeconomic status, class,

education levels and their health and health behavior (Wilkinson & Marmot, 2003, p. 14). As such, a child raised by a single mother who is an alcoholic, a smoker and obese has a greater likelihood of acquiring these bad health habits in his/her adult life. Moreover, different persons have different living environments which help to determine health status. According to Wilkinson & Marmot (2003) and Ehrenberg & Ault (2005), living in an impoverished home or community increases a persons vulnerability to certain diseases. The living conditions of impoverished families encompasses substandard housing and sanitation, lack of adequate education, low awareness of the need for health care, financial difficulties in accessing health care and inadequate resources by which to sustain good health. As a result, persons stricken with poverty are inevitably pre-disposed to alcoholism, drug abuse, chronic diseases and even communicable disease epidemics (Ehrenberg & Ault, 2005). Because an adequate food supply and balanced diet are important in sustaining health and well being, a shortage of food can lead to malnutrition and different deficiency diseases. The poor in society usually have difficulties healthy, nutritious and affordable food and so are forced to survive on the bear minimum and use cheaper processed foods lacking all the nutrients required (Wilkinson & Marmot, 2003, p. 26). As such, persons living in the impoverished and unsanitary rural areas of South Africa are more likely to be malnourished and contract communicable diseases such as malaria than some living in the middle class suburbs of America. In addition to family background and living condition, the work environment is important in determining a persons medical state. According to Cockerham & Glasser, (2001), living conditions help to shape a persons work environment and so persons with a

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS AND HEALTH better standard of living are able to work in acceptable working conditions which help to promote better health. This is because the physical environment, management styles social

organization, social relationships and even stress in the workplace all have a profound impact on health (p. 23). Although stress is unavoidable, Wilkinson & Marmot (2003) has shown that stress in the workplace is linked to the improper and unsatisfactory conditions in the workplace. Stress increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, exacerbates other chronic conditions for example, diabetes, asthma and hypertension and can eventually cause premature death. Hence, persons who cannot control or cope with the demand of unsatisfactory work conditions are more likely to have stressful lives which can serious health implications (p. 18). Even though it is generally overlooked as a social determinant of health, age has a strong influence on health. As people age the increased risk of health implications is inevitable because of the many natural and physical changes that occur. As a result of the ageing process, persons undergo muscular, neurological, mental, psychological and even urinary changes that make medical conditions are difficult to recover from (Cockerham & Glasser, 2001). As we age, our muscle mass and bone density decreases which make us more susceptible to arthritis and fractures caused by falls. Also, there many changes in psychological and mental function due brain cell degeneration which impacts an individuals mental and health status. As such, many senior citizens are often diagnosed with disease such as Alzheimers and dementia. All these health problems are normal especially during the process of ageing (Cockerham & Glasser, 2001). In conclusion, there are many factors ranging from social, economic to even environmental that interact with each other in order to strongly influence health and wellbeing. This paper sought to describe the influence of family background, living and working

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS AND HEALTH conditions and a persons age have a powerful impact on individual health. This is because the understanding of these social determinants of health is very important especially in the promotion of better health and in the provision of health care.

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS AND HEALTH References Cockerham, W.C., & Glasser, M. (2001). Readings in Medical Sociology (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Ehrenberg, J. P., & Ault, S. K. (2005). Neglected diseases of neglected populations: Thinking to reshape the determinants of health in Latin America and the Caribbean. BMC Public Health, 5, 119. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-5-119. Retrieved from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/5/119 Wilkinson, C., & Marmot, M. (2003). Social determinants of health: the solid facts (2nd ed.). Denmark, Europe: World Health Organization.