Determinants of Health

Pictured here are the 12 core determinants of health. They are all interconnected, and one cannot be affected without causing a ripple effect through the others. Poor social environments, poor financial and social status, and gender show that people who are further down the economic scale are at twice the risk for serious illness and premature death as those higher on the social gradient. Women have been shown to live longer then men across all professions from unskilled manual labour to professionals. Material and psychosocial benefits and disadvantages accumulate to further enhance people or bring them down.

Occupational Class Differences in Life Expectancy

Extended periods of stress and personal health practices and coping skills have significant effects on health. For those who have poor coping strategies, are on the lower income scale, and do not have the social supports available suffer more than those who have the benefit of good coping skills and positive social supports. By keeping stress levels high, the body is held in a fight or flight mode and this energy is diverted from important long-term health maintenance. The immune system and the cardiovascular system are affected by causing infections, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular events, stroke, depression and sometimes aggression.

Percentage of Children Living in Poverty

Good health begins in childhood and before. The environment children are born into and how they are raised affects their physical, cognitive and emotional development into adulthood. Poor experiences slow positive growth, become embedded in their biology, and form the basis of who that person is. Nutritional deficiencies and substance abuse during pregnancy affect fetal development and increase health risks for the baby.

Extreme poverty includes those who are living on less than 60% of the national median income. These people have a lack of the basic material necessities of life, are often unemployed, are a minority group, and potentially homeless. They can also suffer from racism, discrimination, stigmatization, and hostility from others. The longer people live in this environment, the harder it is to move out of poverty. These effects can compound on each other, therefore making it harder for people to rise above the poverty level.

A person's working conditions can have a significant impact on their access to better health and healthcare. However, if they suffer overwhelming amounts of stress in their job, this will negate the positive effects of having a job and actually make their health worse. For those with higher levels of control at their job, opportunities to use their skills and have decision-making authority, they have substantially lower incidences of coronary heart disease. The environment at work is a key determinant of health and a contributor to poor health. Unemployment equates to increased stress, decreased access to health care, increased debt, and premature death. Even the threat of unemployment can greatly increase stress and anxiety.

Positive social support networks enhance health at home, work and in the community. People who do not have the social supports necessary experience less well-being, depression, and disability from chronic illness. Equality is of paramount importance and is defined by the mutual obligations and respect within communities. Heart disease rates have been shown to be low in communities with greater levels of social unity, and higher in communities who are not united.

For those who turn to the addiction of alcohol, drugs and tobacco, they do not realize that their reasons for turning to the addiction is only intensified by the addiction. With an increase in depression and stress over the last several years, more and more people are turning to addictions to alleviate their stress, and these addictions are only compounding on their stress. The emotional attachment to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco cause a major financial drain on any household but is felt more intensely by those in the lower income tax brackets.

Two important issues that drive good health and well-being are diet and food supply. A lack of healthy food can cause disease and malnutrition, as can an overabundance of food. Unfortunately, when income rates are low, there is a greater chance that only less healthy food will be available in the home because the healthy food can be more expensive. Poor eating habits started in childhood, follow that person into adulthood - they teach their children poor eating habits, and the cycle continues. Accessibility to affordable, healthy food is key to changing this cycle and decreasing the incidences of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer. It is important that Canadians follow the Canadian Food Guide, eat in moderation, and exercise regularly.

Canadian Food Guide

Increasing exercise and decreasing our reliance on motorized transportation can limit obesity, stress, diabetes, and promotes a sense of well-being. Other benefits include, a decrease in fatal accidents, increase in social contact, and a reduction in air pollution. With busy lives of balancing work and family, it is easy to fall into a sedentary lifestyle with increased negative health effects. While vehicular transportation will get us from point A to point B faster, it isolates us from those around us (as do electronic devices). When we leave the car at home and walk instead, we move and interact with our environment and those around us in a more personal way. Increased physical activity decreases the incidence of many negative health effects including, heart disease, depression, and obesity.

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