The Blum Model: Health Determinants Of Health

Determinants are whether an event, any factor, typical or other definable entity, that brings about change in a health condition or other defined characteristic (Kindig, 2007). A primary risk factor (causative factor) associated with the level of the health problem, that is, the degree of determinant influences the degree of the health issue (Kindig, 2007). With that said, health determinants are major factors that, over time, affect the health and well-being of individuals and populations. They are factors that influence an individual and a community’s health. Such as genetic makeup, different behaviors, medical practice, social and environmental. Health determinants affect health and well-being of people and community health and are necessary
These broad "influences (called “force fields”) are the environment, lifestyle, heredity, and medical care, all of which must be considered simultaneously when addressing the health status of an individual” (Shi, 2015, p.52). The Blum Model provides significant information on one of its determinants called environment and how it affects the well-being and health of individuals and populations. For example, access to quality health care is not fair and without prejudice when it comes to certain
Bad lifestyles are considered and cannot be changed by access to primary care unless there is a sharing of educational information with the communities and populations. People who have better education also have higher incomes (Woodard, 2015, n.p.). With that said, the larger the financial gap between the wealthy and the have-not’s points to the worsening of the health status of the population is in each geographic area. This reasoning is suggesting that wide income gaps produce less social cohesion, greater psychosocial stress, and, consequently, poorer health (Shi,