Social Determinants of Health Affecting the Health and Wellbeing of People<\/p>\n
Name<\/p>\n
Course<\/p>\n
Instructor\u2019s Name<\/p>\n
Submission Date<\/p>\n
Introduction<\/p>\n
People’s life circumstances have a direct influence on their health and well-being. A person’s access to healthcare, educational opportunities, a safe place to live and healthy food are just few of the many elements that contribute to their health and well-being. As defined by Donkin et al. (2018), social determinants of health include not only the physical environments in which individuals live and work but also the larger range of social factors and institutions that shape these environments. A wide number of variables may be considered as social determinants of health, and they can be found in almost every facet of modern life. Although they are not part of a person’s medical or lifestyle decisions, they are nonetheless important to consider. Social variables, according to recent research by Palmer et al. (2019) have an 80 to 90 percent importance in shaping a person’s health. Overall, social determinants play a major role in influencing the health outcome of an individual.<\/p>\n
The aim of this paper is to provide a description of how the social determinants of health have shaped the health and wellbeing of Mike, my sibling. Mike is 16 years old, a sibling living with level 3 autism. His severe autism makes him dependent despite his age. His levels of functioning and the demands of his condition are overwhelming. He is unable to properly and fully use spoken language, has extreme sensitivity, has many repetitive behaviours, and sometimes has physical symptoms such as epilepsy and sleeplessness.<\/p>\n
Social Determinants of Health Linked to the Health and Wellbeing of Mike<\/p>\n
Social determinants of health may be categorized differently. However, Frank\u2019s et al. (2020) study uses five broad categories that are applicable in Mike\u2019s situation including healthcare, economic stability, education, neighbourhood, and social and community life. Under healthcare, Mike has to deal with the health insurance coverage issue that affects access to healthcare and also determines health literacy for his caregivers. In terms of economic stability, housing stability is a major issue because Mike has to be under specialized care at all times requiring large financial support. Under the education aspect, childhood development is an important factor that focuses on Mike\u2019s connection between access to education and health outcomes, applying majorly to the rest of the family as the primary caregivers. Discrimination is an important element in the social and community life because Mike (and by extension the rest of the family) faces significant stigma from society relating to his condition. These four social determinants of health (health insurance coverage, housing stability, childhood development, and discrimination) impact Mike\u2019s overall health and wellbeing.<\/p>\n
Health Insurance Coverage<\/p>\n
Health insurance coverage is a major determinant of Mike\u2019s overall health and wellbeing. Some of his doctor visits are not covered by the family\u2019s insurance provider. As noted by Crear-Perry et al. (2021), physician visits and diagnostic testing for symptomatic diseases are more likely to be covered by health insurance policies than preventative and screening treatments. As a result, some recommended tests and therapy sessions are forfeited on the basis of high costs and a lack of proper coverage. Poor health insurance coverage is linked to worse health outcomes, especially for people living with severe conditions such as Level 3 Autism and so on (Sterling et al., 2018). Therefore, health insurance coverage is a significant issue in ensuring that Mike gets the help he needs.<\/p>\n
Housing Stability<\/p>\n
Another major determinant is housing stability. People with housing insecurity are more likely to suffer from chronic illnesses including diabetes, heart disease, and level 3 autism illnesses because they have less access to diagnostic and preventative treatment (Chhabra et al., 2019). As a result, the life expectancy of such people is lower (Hill-Briggs et al., 2021), compared to people with stable housing. While Mike has access to housing, he requires specialized care and facilities, including customized sleeping quarters, special accessibility to bathrooms, and other needs. Having such facilities at home has significantly improved his motor and cognitive skills, leading to better health outcomes for him. <\/p>\n
Childhood Development<\/p>\n
Children\u00a0are either exposed to factors that help or damage their development from the moment they are born. Chronic poverty, repeated maltreatment, parental drug usage, homelessness, and violent behavior may all have a poor influence on a child’s health and well-being. Research by Rollston and Galea (2020) has shown that high-quality early childhood development and education programs have a key impact in lowering hazardous health behaviors and delaying\u00a0the development of chronic illness later\u00a0in adulthood. The health and well-being of a child’s development and education throughout their\u00a0formative years are important considerations (Schickedanz et al., 2019). By eliminating imbalances in early childhood development and education, it is feasible to greatly enhance the long-term health of young children. Mike\u2019s childhood was not what may be termed as normal due to his condition. However, he has grown up in a loving home, free of violence, maltreatment, and zero drug usage. Such conditions, albeit his severe autism, have positively impacted his growth and development.<\/p>\n
Discrimination<\/p>\n
Discrimination occurs at several levels and targeting different groups. Specifically, discrimination is a kind of stressor experienced by communities of people with autism and other diseases, and it is also a social predictor of health in and of itself (Russell, Coleman, & Ganong, 2018). Access to other important socioeconomic determinants of health is also hampered as a result of discriminatory activities. The target of discrimination, as well as their families, loved ones, and members of a community are all harmed as a result of the practice, both directly and indirectly (Donkin et al., 2018). Consequently, prejudicial attitudes and behaviors have a broad range of effects on health, contributing to the considerable health inequalities that are experienced by disadvantaged people. Mike has been fortunate to not experience discrimination while seeking healthcare services. <\/p>\n
Frameworks and Action Areas for Health Promotion <\/p>\n
Due to the dependency levels that Mike displays, a majority of the action areas for health promotion relate to our parents as the primary caregivers. For Mike, his level 3 autism requires daily learning and improvement to reduce dependency. To improve his health, Mike will need to have better access to health care through better health insurance coverage. This is a part of the action areas of the Ottawa charter linked to building healthier public policies. <\/p>\n
Developing Sound Public Policy<\/p>\n
Developing sound public policy requires the participation of government agencies and non-profit organizations dedicated to promoting health and social justice (Wilberg, Saboga-Nunes, & Stock, 2021). In the case of Mike\u2019s health and ultimate wellbeing, the government may build a healthy and equitable environment through enacting laws, allocating funds, and implementing policies that are friendlier to people living with autism and their caregivers. It is possible to attain the goal of developing healthy public policy through enacting laws, financing, and policies that support good health, and to meet the social justice principles (Thompson, Watson, & Tilford, 2018). Mike would be better off if he had access to some of the diagnostic, therapy, and related treatments that he is currently unable to afford. <\/p>\n
Developing Personal Skills<\/p>\n
Mike\u2019s parents, his other caregivers, myself included, and close family and friends would help to improve his health by developing their own personal skills as per the action areas of the Ottawa charter. Developing personal skills helps individuals to better their health knowledge via the supply of knowledge and training, enabling for the characteristic of social responsibility to be addressed (Peimani, Nasli-Esfahani, & Shakibazadeh, 2019). In order to maintain social justice and good health, all children, regardless of their conditions, must have equal access to a quality education. Individuals may better manage their health by gaining a better understanding of the issues at hand. Mike, unfortunately, is unable to attend the conventional classroom, requiring specialized care and education. As a result of having the ability to make healthy decisions, individuals may have a beneficial impact on others around them. For instance, a caregiver in Mike\u2019s life who knows the value of eating a healthy would ensure that he gets the right nutrition and balanced diet in his meals. <\/p>\n
Strengthening Community Action<\/p>\n
Strengthening community action is needed to combat health policies that are discriminatory in nature such as those that exclude some populations because of their conditions, race, or ethnicity. Strengthening community action under the Ottawa charter means that communities are empowered to develop and execute health-related initiatives, allowing social action ideals to be addressed (Munodawafa et al., 2021). Increasing the possibility that particular needs will be satisfied and giving the communities a stronger feeling of control are two benefits of giving communities the ability to utilize their voice and band together so as to tackle\u00a0health inequalities. As an example, empowering persons with autism or those supporting them\u00a0to make healthy choices may be accomplished by establishing a supportive atmosphere in which they feel empowered to do so. It is only through embracing the principles of fairness that community actions\u00a0can be strengthened.<\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/p>\n
Mike\u2019s condition renders him totally dependent on his family. This takes a lot of energy and financial constraints on the whole family. He faces discriminatory policies in health care, financial struggles, and stigma. These issues also overflow to the rest of his family. As a key part of my brother\u2019s journey, I have seen the benefits of better insurance coverage, education, a supportive community, and policies that are fair in terms of advancing positive health outcomes. In this discussion, Mike\u2019s condition and his environment has shown that social determinants play a major role in influencing the health outcome of an individual. <\/p>\n
References<\/p>\n
Chhabra, M., Sorrentino, A. E., Cusack, M., Dichter, M. E., Montgomery, A. E., & True, G. (2019). Screening for housing instability: providers\u2019 reflections on addressing a social determinant of health.\u00a0Journal of General Internal Medicine,\u00a034(7), 1213-1219. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11606-019-04895-x<\/p>\n
Crear-Perry, J., Correa-de-Araujo, R., Lewis Johnson, T., McLemore, M. R., Neilson, E., & Wallace, M. (2021). Social and structural determinants of health inequities in maternal health.\u00a0Journal of Women’s Health,\u00a030(2), 230-235. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1089\/jwh.2020.8882<\/p>\n
Donkin, A., Goldblatt, P., Allen, J., Nathanson, V., & Marmot, M. (2018). Global action on the social determinants of health.\u00a0BMJ global health,\u00a03(Suppl 1), e000603. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/bmjgh-2017-000603<\/p>\n
Frank, J., Abel, T., Campostrini, S., Cook, S., Lin, V. K., & McQueen, D. V. (2020). The social determinants of health: time to re-think?.\u00a0International journal of environmental research and public health,\u00a017(16), 5856. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph17165856<\/p>\n
Hill-Briggs, F., Adler, N. E., Berkowitz, S. A., Chin, M. H., Gary-Webb, T. L., Navas-Acien, A., … & Haire-Joshu, D. (2021). Social determinants of health and diabetes: a scientific review.\u00a0Diabetes Care,\u00a044(1), 258-279. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2337\/dci20-0053<\/p>\n
Munodawafa, D., Onya, H., Amuyunzu-Nyamongo, M., Mweemba, O., Phori, P., & Kobie, A. G. (2021). Achieving SDGs and addressing health emergencies in Africa: strengthening health promotion.\u00a0Global Health Promotion,\u00a028(4), 97-103. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/17579759211064296<\/p>\n
Palmer, R. C., Ismond, D., Rodriquez, E. J., & Kaufman, J. S. (2019). Social determinants of health: future directions for health disparities research.\u00a0American Journal of Public Health,\u00a0109(S1), S70-S71. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2105\/ajph.2019.304964<\/p>\n
Peimani, M., Nasli-Esfahani, E., & Shakibazadeh, E. (2019). Ottawa charter framework as a guide for type 2 diabetes prevention and control in Iran.\u00a0Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders,\u00a018(1), 255-261. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s40200-018-0381-3<\/p>\n
Rollston, R., & Galea, S. (2020). COVID-19 and the social determinants of health.\u00a0American Journal of Health Promotion,\u00a034(6), 687-689. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0890117120930536b<\/p>\n
Russell, L. T., Coleman, M., & Ganong, L. (2018). Conceptualizing family structure in a social determinants of health framework.\u00a0Journal of Family Theory & Review,\u00a010(4), 735-748. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/jftr.12296<\/p>\n
Schickedanz, A., Hamity, C., Rogers, A., Sharp, A. L., & Jackson, A. (2019). Clinician experiences and attitudes regarding screening for social determinants of health in a large integrated health system.\u00a0Medical care,\u00a057(Suppl 6 2), S197. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/mlr.0000000000001051<\/p>\n
Sterling, S., Chi, F., Weisner, C., Grant, R., Pruzansky, A., Bui, S., … & Pearl, R. (2018). Association of behavioral health factors and social determinants of health with high and persistently high healthcare costs.\u00a0Preventive medicine reports,\u00a011, 154-159. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.pmedr.2018.06.017<\/p>\n
Thompson, S. R., Watson, M. C., & Tilford, S. (2018). The Ottawa Charter 30 years on: still an important standard for health promotion.\u00a0International Journal of Health Promotion and Education,\u00a056(2), 73-84. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/14635240.2017.1415765<\/p>\n
Wilberg, A., Saboga-Nunes, L., & Stock, C. (2021). Are we there yet? Use of the Ottawa Charter action areas in the perspective of European health promotion professionals.\u00a0Journal of Public Health,\u00a029, 1-7. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10389-019-01108-x<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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