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B00715606 1 Sept. 24/17 Social Determinants of Health

The social determinants of health directly affect the lives of every human on our very large and diverse planet through mechanisms of interaction, development, and within all of our environments. The World Health Organization (2009) defines the social determinants of health as “the condition in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, including the health system”. They then proceed to explain how money and power contribute to many inequities visibly seen throughout our nation and furthermore our world. When examining what factors are influencing our individual health status’, you must begin to focus on a person’s life even before they are born. The health status of one individual can also affect a communities’ health status as a whole. Some of the major determinants include, income, social status and networks, education, employment, physical and social environments, genetics, personal health practices, child development, gender, and culture (Cukier, 2017). Generally, there is a pathway we all take to our resulting health status’ which then can reflect on our quality of life. Income, social status, social networks, social environments, and employment all generally affect health in similar ways because they relate very closely to one another. Simply, if you have a good job or career, you are likely to have a higher income. Having a higher income allows for a more luxurious or freeing lifestyle, making socialization with others easier; going to events such as dinners and vacations. Having a higher social status may also be linked with being a prominent figure in society, allowing a person to make more connections through different networks. Ideally, if a human of high value gets sick, better medical attention could be bought as well as support from the community. There is a totem pole that money can help people climb in our society and societies around the world.

B00715606 2 Sept. 24/17 Social Determinants of Health Education, physical environments, health services, child development and personal health also follow a similar pathway to one another. The environment you are raised plays a huge role in the availability of education and accessible health services. For example, a privileged primarily Caucasian community would be provided with more opportunities than a low-income community. Without access to education, personal health is significantly lower which would involve showering, dental hygiene, regular checkups, and even emergency aid. Evidently, a lower health status can be attributed to these components. Lastly, I believe the most important factors shaping our health are culture, genetics, and gender. Genetically, we are all different from one another, but similar to our biological parents. This means that hereditary diseases that can be passed down put our health status at risk. Another genetically calculated aspect of our health is our gender. Male, female, and every other gender in society come with their own risks and problematic traits. Culturally, this can cause a distinct difference or divide in our society’s health. Gender is a major factor for all of us as it affects every single person and should be discussed in further details. Gender is immensely influential to the health status of everyone, but in particular, for women around the world. The standards of which women are held to do not compare to the health services they receive. The three different pathways that seem to gain the most attention are the diseases that women face compared to men, the income and environment already created for women, and lastly the sexual and reproductive factors that can cause extreme distress. Sadly, in comparison to men, women are generally facing more obstacles in their health status and treatment for problematic diseases. In simple terms, the anatomy of a woman is different than a man; this is a known biological fact. However, with these differences come hurdles that women have to overcome that

B00715606 3 Sept. 24/17 Social Determinants of Health men do not. The biggest contributors that can complicate a woman’s health are cancer. The two worst forms are breast and ovarian, which if not detected early are generally fatal. There are many cancers found in men that are also aggressive, however early detection is key for these types, and sadly this isn’t a realistic part of many victims lives. In order to receive the proper treatment, regular checkups are mandatory, as well as self-health practices, and in areas of low income and low education, neither are done (World Health Organization, 2015). Other diseases that affect women more than men is anxiety and depression. Mental health as a whole is widely ignored due to the stigma surrounding it, but predominantly for women, diagnosis and treatment is minimal. The accessibility for health services to treat these lethal diseases depends on location as well as income. Income affects the health status of women in many different ways. In general, women make less money in their respected fields of work globally, so the availability of health treatment is already a more difficult task for women than for men. Most deaths concerning diseases such as cancer occur in areas of low to middle class incomes where screening is marginal (World Health Organization, 2015). Another problem that women face in low income areas is raising children, especially in a single parent household. Providing for the health of themselves, let alone another human being creates excessive stress and pressure, and in turn can result in drug use and simply the use of cigarettes. Lastly, abuse in areas of low income is very common. Approximately onethird of women under the age of 50 experience physical or sexual assault (World Health Organization, 2015), which is another factor that can increases anxiety and depression, as well as physical injuries. These are a rising concern for the health of women everywhere. Lastly, sexuality and reproduction create a staggering number of problems for women. This is also affected by income and relates to diseases possessed by women compared to men.

B00715606 4 Sept. 24/17 Social Determinants of Health There are 222 million women that aren’t getting the necessary contraceptive (World Health Organization, 2015). This is an issue specifically important in our current society within the United States with the discussion of making the availability of birth control even more difficult. An issue that often results from the lack of contraceptive are sexual transmitted diseases (STD’s), which unfortunately tend to take a toll on the long term physical health of women compared to the short term effects on men. STD’s also cause 200,000 stillbirths annually, and with proper screening and protection, those deaths are completely avoidable. Another problem in which women face reproductively is the act of childbirth, where 300,000 women die annually due to complications with the pregnancy or birth. As a whole, sexual and reproductive issues account for one-third of the health problems all women face ages 15 to 44 world-wide (World Health Organization). The statistics prove how inequality in many sectors of a woman’s life attributed to the difficulty of staying healthy opposed to men. The social determinants of health can apply to everyone universally, whether you are educated, male or female, or merely where you live on the planet. One of the most influential and divided sectors of health depends on gender. For the simplicity of the statistics, considering just two genders and the different health concerns that apply to primarily women is necessary to discuss. Women experience many volatile and aggressive cancers that do not affect the lives or health status of men. Women also experience lower wages compared to men, and this proposes many problems receiving the proper screening and protection from abuse as well as from STD’s. The reproduction of women causes its own problems separately, causing many health challenges that men will never have to face. All of these details of a woman’s lifelong struggle with health points towards a very evident divide in the staus’ of different genders.

B00715606 5 Sept. 24/17 Social Determinants of Health References 1. Cukier, S. (2017). Learning Modules, Week 2: Primary Health Care, Community Development & Social Justice. Retrieved September 24, 2017 from: http://dal.brightspace.com 2. World Health Organization (2009). The Social Determinants of Health. Retrieved from: http://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/ 3. World Health Organization (2015). Promotion Health Through the Life-Course. Retrieved from: http://www.who.int/life-course/en/...