7. Creating Supportive Environments Flashcards
Social ecology
concerned with the effects of the socio-cultural, politico-economic, physical & biological subsystems of the environment on the health of populations & communities. Human behaviour is mediated by interaction within the environment. The environment predisposes, enables and reinforces individual and human behaviour.
What is the risk of just an individual focus without considering the broader environment?
-takes off individual blame
-ignores patterns
-upstream vs. downsteam idea
-if we look at enviornement we can engage thealth promotion for the whole enviornment
Five Components for Action
1) Ending prejudice and oppression
2) Creating a new vision of environmental choice
3) Fostering technology for assessing our environment
4) Accommodating diversity through participation
5) Becoming world experts in intersectoral action in the design of healthy environments
Four Strategies for Action
1) Political vision and leadership in all five action components
2) Scientific and social research and industrial incentive to produce materials that are cleaner, less risky, and less damaging
3) Public education about environmental effects on health
4) Legislative review and reexamination of policies to ensure that individuals control their environments
Physical Environment
Natural environment
Air quality
Water quality
Chemical and biologic hazards
The built environment
Nursing - Environment
“The environmental factors make up the context for the social determinants and are at the root of what makes a population healthy….”
In Canada, the health threats posed by air pollution normally exceed those posed by water pollution.
T or F?
True
Compared with other transmission media, such as food and air, drinking water is a minor source of most pollutants.
Which of the following groups is known to be most susceptible to the effects of food-borne contaminants?
Immunocompromised individuals
Canadians of low socioeconomic status
People who spend the majority of their time indoors
Aboriginals
A. Immunocompromised individuals
People with weakened immune systems are among those most vulnerable to food-borne illnesses.
Ecologic Perspective
Requires a broad view of the environment
- Physical influences
- Political influences
- Economic influences
- Sociocultural influences
- Biologic influences
- By adopting a holistic or ecological approach, population health promotion focuses on populations and their environment.
- The relationships between populations and environment are complex.
- Because of the complexity of interactions, population health interventions must include multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral approaches.
Why might multi-sectors be important in ecikigical approches?
Think about collaborations and partnerships– how might these be relevant when taking an ecological approach to community health?
Must focus on the complexity of interavtions. This is why multidisciplinary collaborations are so important. You need to look at things with different perspectives. If they don’t work together then another sector might counteract the thing or do the same thing again thus wasting resouces.
built environment
Housing
Community infrastructure
Access to nature and green spaces
Chemical and biologic hazards
Pollution, food contaminants
List 3 Environmental Threats
… Connect to health inequities…
Climate and global warming
Weather
Natural disasters
Air pollution
Soil pollution
Soil erosion
Deforestation
Water pollution
Drought and water scarcity
Foodstuff contamination
-in Flin Flon there was a mill right in town. One couple got the same rare brain cancer. Because it was so unlikely to get it it must have been from an enviornmntal influence.
-in natural disasters like a hurricane not everyone will have the same resources to evaluate (car, somewhere to go) or money to repair their home, etc.
Places that face the worst climate change are the north and around the equator
Occupational health
- focuses on the promotion, prevention, protection, maintenance and restoration of the health of workers within the context of a safe and healthy work environment.
- include toxicology, industrial hygiene, safety, and ergonomics.
List 2 Services Provided by OHS Nurse
*ensuring compliance with regulations;
*developing health screening and surveillance programs;
*counselling employees;
*coordinating health promotion and fitness activities;
*assessing health and safety hazards in the work place;
*establishing comprehensive referral networks;
*managing occupational, non-occupational illnesses & injuries, including tx of emergency and primary care health problems;
*conducting health and safety evaluations;
*consulting with business and community partners; and
*managing OH services, including program planning, policy development, & analysis, budgeting, staffing, & general administration.
