Determinants of Health – A practical approach!

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Health is not only the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, but also the absence of disease

or infirmity and good health, which we strive to achieve not only individually, but also as a community. But if we look around we can see that the health of our family friends and others is very variable. The life expectancy of a child born in Sierra Leone in 2016 was 53 years and in Australia it was 83 years but even in Australia the life expectancy of the aborigines is around 10 years. The health of aboriginal and specific individuals may vary depending on a person’s level of education or occupation.

So why is health so variable to answer that question? We need to understand the factors that affect health. Factors that affect a person’s health are called. Health determinants include age, sex, and genetic makeup, and what they do in health activities, such as smoking, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and dietary health. Social criteria for health are shaped by the distribution of monetary power and resources, and at the international, national and local levels. These can lead to health inequalities, and it is the difference in health between different groups that is unfair and preventable. According to this framework, let us look at the social criteria of health using a framework developed by the World Health Organization.

The structural and intermediate structural criteria of health criteria include the socio-economic and political context in which they live, the governing economic, social and general policies, and the social and cultural values ​​placed on health issues, which can also cause the material to be unevenly distributed. Financial resources that can shape the socio-economy ic position Socio-economic location Education Profession Income Gender or ethnicity and social class. Structural criteria for health operate through a set of intermediate criteria that affect an individual’s exposure risk and the factors that affect their health.

In addition to these health measures, psychological factors such as stressful living conditions, relationships, social support, behavioral and biological factors determine the quality of health care, whether it is the purchase of healthy food or clothing or other needs for a healthy lifestyle and work environment. Relationships between all of these criteria are not always linear, but there are complex interdependencies that can interfere with health in many ways, depending on how easily accessible the link between structural and intermediate criteria is in our social coexistence and social capital. Keeping in mind that poor health can limit the chances of achieving good health and on the other hand poor health can limit the chances of participating in the workforce and these criteria can work throughout a person’s life. So the next time you think about a health issue, consider not only who they are, but also the conditions in which they were born, live work and age. Because if we understand and act on them, we can build a healthier world for all of you

 

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