Mick Gooda, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner stated at a meeting in Brisbane, Australia that "it is an uncontested fact to say that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples do not have the same health outcomes as non-Indigenous Australians." (Gooda, 2010) There is significant evidence that shows that the Indigenous Australian communities are continuing to suffer of overall ill health, as they experience a lower level of access to primary health services. These services are made readily available for the general population of Australia, however not for the traditional owners of the land we live on. (AIHW, 2012) There is also evidence to demonstrate that Indigenous Australians that were born between the years of "1996-2001 are estimated to have life expectancy at birth of 59.4 years for males, and 64.8 years for females." This is roughly 20 years less than the average non-Indigenous Australian. (AIHW, Indigenous life expectancy, 2012) These services should be made readily available to everyone in this great country we call Australia, as these services are basic human rights. Are we, the Australian population not supposed to live in "a fair society where individuals and groups are free, equal and empowered" (Gooda, 2010). How is our society fair and equal when basic…
This documentary displays epidemiology in action to reveal the correlation between social status and overall health. It focuses on two categories of social status that influence overall health, economic status and race. These two categories are examples of health disparities. According to Paula Braveman a health disparity is, “a difference in which disadvantaged social groups who have persistently experienced social disadvantage or discrimination- systematically experience worse health or greater health risks than more advantaged social groups” (Braveman, 2006, p.167). The documentary explains that economic status and race impact the idea of control and security.…
The determinants of health involve, the social and economic environment, the physical environment, and people’s individual characteristics and behaviors also from my understanding there are many combination of factors that affect people and communities and not be capable of directly controlling much of the determinants of health. There are specific determinants that make people healthy or not and are determined by their circumstances and environment, for instance, Income and social status, the more money a person makes is the better their health status. Social determinants of health are financial and social environments that impact the health of individuals and societies. Some of the factors associated with health consequences contain: • The…
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 (Hobbs & Rice 2013, p.456). Understanding social determinants of health will help human service providers such as Social Workers to have greater awareness of how structural system and social context creates patterns of inequalities for certain population, resulting in poor health (Sowers & Dulmus…
The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels. Social determinants relate to this issue because it is one of the key things that is influencing teen pregnancy and/or parenthood. It has been proven that teenage girls who have either not done well at school, dropped out, or do not have a clear idea for their future are the ones that are more likely to become pregnant. A reason for this is because the girl has no plans for her future meaning she has less care if she accidentally becomes pregnant.…
Healthy People 2010 was sent off in January 2000 by the Department of Health and Human Services. This program intended to tackle nationwide promotions and disease preventions in the communities in which they sever form social disparities in health. Social disparities generally specify as the difference in health status that are consistently correlated with various levels of latent social advantages and position in the social ladder (Braveman & Gruskin, 2003.) these social disparities in health are mirrored by ethnicity, sexual orientation, education and occupation. Moreover, there are other distinctive reasons linked with preeminent resources, prestige, influence and social incorporation (Braveman & Gruskin, 2003.)…
How far exactly did we come in attempting to achieve health equality and equity? Measures to reduce health disparities focuses on several key themes: (1) How persistent health disparities are (2) The economic condition (3) Race and discrimination (4) Geographic location (5) Raising awareness on the issue of health disparities (6) Shaping or integrating better health policies (7) The function of a community in developing plans to tackle health disparities (8) The promising Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Certainly, there are many other topics encased in health disparities that need to be addressed other than the aforementioned. However, these challenges often include measuring issues (i.e. the level of cultural competency) that are difficult to get an exact estimation for. That is, it is an on-going trial-and-error method until there are positive results.…
Throughout the course of their life, individuals will experience varying degrees of health and well being. An individual’s health is measured based on the different types of conditions and resources that they are exposed to. These conditions and resources can be identified through what is called The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). SDOH are used to identify the health status of an individual, community and population.…
Social determinants of health are factors that influence the health of all people. There are 14 factors influencing health. Some of these factors include income, stress, education, employment, early childhood development, food insecurity, race, gender, etc. This paper focuses on housing and the impacts of housing on health based on a reading called Social determinants of health: The Canadian facts by J. Mikkonen and D. Raphael (2010). This paper will also analyze a current newspaper article about housing and how it affects health. Finally, this paper will compare how the two articles relate to housing, health, and social policy.…
Emma’s day began like any other. She woke up in her college dorm room at The George Washington University covered in her down comforter and sheets, sunken into her tempurpedic mattress topper. Getting out of her warm bed and into the crisp cold air of the open dorm room air was tough. Winter in D.C. was turning out to be colder than she expected. She breathed in the fresh air before her, and walked to her Brita water filter to get herself a glass of water. While drinking the crystal clear water, Emma scrolled through her instagram feed and saw a picture that reminded her of her mom. She proceeded to give her mom a call. After she hung up the phone, Emma went to the bathroom and washed her hands, brushed her teeth, and used her favorite mouthwash.…
Health care cost is increasing everyday and poor health status is increasing because of that more people are obese, sick and unhealthy overall. Health care plans should report five behaviors which are smoking, physical activity, excessive drinking, nutrition and condom use according to (Kottke, 2010) Poor health status is increasing health care cost. Determining the findings of a patient at an earlier stage can prevent complications and improve health care systems. “The lack of tools to measure the effect of clinical services on US population health is rooted in the historical development of the American clinical health care system, which evolved to respond to the acute care needs of the individual: relief of pain and suffering through diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and reassurance” ( Kottke, 2010)…
Our much dated concept and measurement of health has generally focused on ill health form a physiological point of view. By the mid twentieth century, the health pictures had changed, people as a whole were no longer looked upon as disease ridden and ideas of positive health emerged. The WHO formulated its definition of health following the World War 2 during a period when the social health of societies was in question. The WHO exemplified the holistic model. According to the WHO. Health was and is still to be defined today as being the absence of illness as well as a combination of an individual’s physical, social, psychological and emotional condition these factors are considered determinants of one’s overall health.…
Completely eliminating health disparities between the races and ethnic groups is a difficult task to accomplish. Discrimination is the major effector in disparities felt by different races and ethnic groups. It effects the environment they live in, their education, and their incomes, which all play a role in the health disparities they face. Some health disparities faced by the different races and ethnic groups include cancer screenings, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, HIV infections/AIDS, and immunizations rates. In order to completely eliminate health disparities, the government must strive for eliminating the social construct of race, as well as promoting empathy and sensitivity towards immigrants that have different cultures than Americans.…
While United States is one of the most powerful and successful countries in the world, it has many flaws in need of attention. One of the most prominent issues is the unequal representation of citizens in the government. Many factors contribute to this, but one significant cause of inequality is the representation of social classes. Even in the 1800s, Alexis De Tocqueville determined that the social class that held the most power would pass policies in their own favor (1835). Because of separation between social classes, the upper class has the most influence in government, the middle class is decently represented, and the lower class has a weak effect in democracy. Evidence shows that…
Discrimination can cause adverse changes in health, and such efforts are an increasingly necessary component of comprehensive approaches to improving health disparities. The research on discrimination and health disparities continues to grow rapidly year after year, and evidence has shown that discrimination has been operationalized in a variety of ways, consistent with an inverse association between discrimination and an increasingly broad range of health outcomes across various populations in a wide range of cultural and national contexts. It lends credibility to the likelihood of perceived discrimination as a significant emerging risk factor for disease. The health care system in the United States has a history of racial discrimination that…