Social determinants of health (SDH) are the social and economic influences that affect human health. These are apparent in the living and working environments that people face every day. The SDH influences wellbeing in many positive and negative ways. Extreme income and wealth differences have negative health effects for people living in poverty. These results are magnified as these individuals are grouped in poor regions. On the other hand, well-off people have better overall well-being.
10 Ways Social Determinants Affect People’s Well-being:
1. Education
According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, getting more education decreases the chance of dying by 1.8 percent over the next five years. If someone graduates from high school and spend some time in college:
- The risk of heart attack will decrease by more than 2%
- The risk of diabetes will decrease by more than 1%
Social determinants combine to affect wellbeing in several dimensions. Income affects the community, which affects the option of school, which affects education. In comparison, children engaged in nursing receive more support for:
- Completing school work
- Homework
- Prioritizing school
Learning about wellness, diet, and fitness is also part of comprehensive education.
2. Family
Luther Brewster is an assistant professor of medicine and culture at Florida International University. He points out that strong family relations are a health protection factor. Social scientists also found that in the U.S., ethnic groups whose cultures prioritize family ties show improved mental wellbeing than the rest of the population. So, this means supporting parents and extended family members to help children feel cherished, confident, and secure.
3. Marital status
People with cancer are improving their survival by getting married. Scientists analyzed racial and ethnic disparities in cancer survival for men with colon cancer. They found that marital status was as significant as the cancer stage in reducing survival disparities. It is according to data from approximately 900,000 patients in the California Cancer Registry. Overall, in patients with breast, ovarian, colon, or lung cancer, marital status accounted for:
- Up to 18 percent of men’s survival
- Up to 14 percent of women’s survival
This report was published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on October 16. An earlier study of thyroid cancer showed worse survival rates for widowed and divorced patients.
4. Health insurance
Health insurance increases access to health care. That’s why Americans signed up for Health Care Act coverage in record amounts, with about 2.3 million people finding coverage in the first month of the 2018 open enrollment numbers period.
Also, Medicare ensures that older adults or lower-income earners continue to access health insurance. Therefore, the Children’s Health Care Policy provides low-cost coverage to families who are not qualified for help. Additionally, With CHIP, children receive:
- Regular checks
- Vaccines
- Prescriptions
- Dental and eye treatment
- Hospital care
- Emergency facilities
Higher-income families may take these for granted.
5. Childhood care
Early childhood care forms the road to lifelong wellbeing, and failure to thrive means not gaining weight or height at the same time as most young children. So, if the underlying causes are not treated, these children can develop learning disabilities. Hence, they can have impairment of language and motor skills and persistent development failure. So, many hospitals and community centers provide outpatient care to families and children who fail to thrive. For example, the Boston Medical Center’s Grow Children’s Clinic offers various medical, nutritional, developmental, and social services to help these social determinant children become as well as possible.
6. Income
Economic and physical wellbeing are closely related. The greater your income, the lower the risk of mortality and morbidity. It is a direct introduction to the Urban Institute’s April 2015 report. It’s not only about the yearly earnings but even the accumulated income. Therefore, household income impacts the well-being of every level of the ladder. So the middle-class Americans are healthier than people living in or near poverty. But the upper-class Americans are also healthier, the study reveals. Even among the rich, billionaires are likely to have better health than mere millionaires.
7. Environment
Environmental risks impact the health of children. Asthma worsens as infants breathe in dusty, dirty weather. Drinking water from lead pipes leads children to the risk of impaired brain growth.
According to the World Health Organisation, adults in high-level environments are at an increased risk of high blood pressure and kidney failure.
8. Research inclusion
Released from clinical trials, such as those with mostly male or white patients, means that medical breakthroughs do not necessarily apply to everyone. So, certain illnesses, medication side effects affect people differently by sex and ethnicity. Therefore, discovering new, evidence-based ways to minimize disparities continues with greater intensity. But, equal funding is a concern. The creative ideas of diverse researchers must be supported-especially financially-as the first step.
9. Housing
Unstable housing is a bad thing for your health. As it’s hard to connect to a medical practice when trying to find a stable place to live. Moreover, helping people afford a home makes a healthy difference. For example, receiving housing assistance from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development is related to increased access to health care. Because a report released in the journal Health Affairs on June 17 stated it. Furthermore, HUD housing assistance is associated with lower rates of non-insurance medical needs.
10. Race
For certain medical conditions, race and ethnicity can affect the direction patients go. Several studies on diabetes have shown worse results in blood sugar control, blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and medical problems by comparing African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, and others to white patients. Breast cancer appears to be more biologically active in African-American women than in white women. Other causes also lead to higher mortality rates in the former group. Several barriers also play a role. These include:
- Fewer referrals for cancer screening in some geographical locations
- Among women with lower incomes or inadequate benefits
It is according to a report published in the Annals of Translational Medicine & Epidemiology.
The Bottom Line
There are many challenges, debates, and unanswered questions. The tremendous advances in knowledge leave no room for debate. Social influences are powerful determinants of health. The consistency of clear associations between social factors and health outcomes has been reported. There may be thresholds above which a higher level of a given social factor (e.g., income) can no longer provide better health.
Finally, physicians and public health professionals can be key resources for local, state, and national decision-makers on the crucial issue of health equality for all Americans, particularly those facing the greatest social barriers.
