The health of the community is closely connected with the social conditions of the people. Five main social determinants influence the health of a person or a community. These are Economic Stability, Education, Health and Healthcare, Neighborhood and Built Environment, and Social and Community Context. All of these determinants are interrelated and important to maintaining healthy life (Social Determinants of Health).
Any individual needs to be able to get proper health services along with access to healthy food when it is required. There are a lot of obstacles in the way to getting a health service and access to healthy food that creates increased chances of poor health outcomes (Neighborhood and Built Environment Part 1 5). The main barriers that people usually face are food deserts and food swamps for access to healthy food, health insurance problems, limitations in health care resources, and transportation limitations for health services due to socioeconomic conditions (Economic Stability Lecture 10). Employment is another important factor in a person’s health. Job benefits usually include medical insurance, and sick leave, which only increases the healthcare level of the person (Economic Stability Lecture 5). Employment highly depends on the academic background and previous education level of the person. Children with poor healthcare services, especially if they have chronic diseases, have higher chances of showing low academic performances due to health conditions. It will consequently lead to poor academic performance and achievements, which is a direct indicator of the future health of the individual (Education Access and Quality). Thus, access to proper health care and healthy food is tightly connected to education and the future economic stability of the person, which are three main determinants of health.
The level of housing is also an important indicator of the health of its resident. The quality of the housing includes such characteristics as indoor air quality, the presence of mold, asbestos, lead, etc., which can cause direct health damage. (Neighborhood and Built Environment Part 4 2). Also, civic actions and initiations can push for the betterment of environmental conditions of the area, such as air and water quality, and possible site contaminations, which can negatively affect the health of the population (Neighborhood and Built Environment Part 3 2). Therefore, it is seen that all Social Determinants of Health are highly interconnected, and improvement of all five determinants simultaneously is required for the better health of people.
Works Cited
Economic Stability Lecture, 2021.
“Neighborhood and Built Environment Part 1”, 2021.
“Neighborhood and Built Environment Part 3”, 2021.
“Neighborhood and Built Environment Part 4”, 2021.
“Education Access and Quality” Health, Web.
“Social Determinants of Health.” HealthyPeople, Web.