DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH

INTRODUCTION 

Health's the state of complete physical mental and social well-being not just the absence of disease or infirmity good health is something we strive to achieve not just individually but also as a community but if we look around us our family friends and others we know that health is very variable. For example, in 2016 the life expectancy of a child born in Sierra Leone was 53 years while in Australia it was 83 years but even within Australia the life expectancy of indigenous people is about 10 years lower than that of non-indigenous people, and even within a specific group of people's health can change based on a person's income level of education or occupation. So why is health so variable? To answer that question we must understand the factors that influence health.

DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH

The factors that influence a person's health are called determinants of health. These include who they are such as age and genetic makeup and what they do in health behaviors such as smoking physical activity, alcohol use, and diet. Health is also largely influenced by the conditions in which people are born to grow, live work and age collectively called the social determinants of health.

The social determinants of health are shaped by the distribution of money, power, and resources at an international, national, and local level. These can lead to health inequities which is the difference in health between different groups of people that is unfair and avoidable.

Let's take a look at the social determinants of health using a framework developed by the World Health Organization. According to this framework, there are two broad groups of health determinants structural and intermediary. Structural determinants are the socio-economic and political context that people live in it includes governance economic social and public policies and also the social and cultural values placed on health issues. These factors can lead to the unequal distribution of material and monetary.

Resources that can shape a person's socioeconomic position are characterized by education occupation,  income, gender race or ethnicity, and social class. . These include material circumstances such as the quality of housing the financial means to buy healthy food clothing, or other requirements for healthy living and work environment. Psychosocial factors like stressful living circumstances relationships and social support behavioral and biological factors. In addition to this health systems determine the type of healthcare the quality and how easily accessible it is.

Bridging the structural and intermediary determinants are social cohesion and social capital the link between all these determinants is not always linear but can be complex and interdependent and interact in many different ways to influence health. For example or income can limit opportunities for achieving good health and conversely, poor health can limit opportunities for people to participate in the workforce. 

 CONCLUSION

Remember these determinants can act across the course of a person's life so the next time you think about a health issue consider not only who they are and what they do but also the conditions in which they are born grow, live,  work and age because if we understand and act on them we can build a healthier world for everyone