Determinants of Health

Question 1

Define health x3

Answer 1

1. Marx- The ability to do productive work
2. Parson’s (sociological model) A state of optimum capacity for the optimum performance of valued tasks.
3. WHO- A state of complete mental, physical and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease

Question 2

What are the pros and cons of the WHO definition of health

’ a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and not just the absence of illness or disease’

Answer 2

Pros:

• Emphasis on all three facets
• positive dimensions of health

Cons:

• Utopian- idealised perfection- you can’t be in complete state of physical, mental and social wellbeing
• Is wellbeing= good health

Question 3

Health is multidimensional. What is meant by this?

Answer 3

1. disease
2. disability
3. frequency of illness
4. malaise - general feeling of discomfort or unease
5. fitness

Health is sensitive to society’s demands

‘a state of wellbeing conforming to the ideals of a prevailing culture’

Question 4

What are the 3 categaries of determinants of health?

Answer 4

Biological

Lifestyle​

Enviroment

Health Service

Question 5

What are the biological determinants of health?

Answer 5

• Age
• Sex
• Genetic

Question 6

What are the lifestyle determinants of health?

Answer 6

• Tobacco
• Nutrition
  
  • Malnutrition
  • overnutrition
• Alcohol
• Physical acitivity
• ‘Risky’ behaviours

Question 7

What are the enviromental developments of health?

Answer 7

• Physico-chemical
  
  • Air
  • Water
  • radiation
• Biological
  
  • Microbes
• Socioeconomic and sociopolitical
  
  • ​Social cohesion and inequality
  • employment
  • education
  • political stability
  • over- abunndance and ‘convenience society’

Question 8

How does health service affect health?

Answer 8

• Decrease in mortality in the last 2 centuries due to fall in infectious disease
• clinical medicine played smaller role than other changes
  *

Question 9

4 roles of clinical medicine

Answer 9

preventing death - acute emergencies for infectious disease

improving length and quality of life in fatal conditions- chemotherapy for cancer, insulin for diabetes

Improving length and quality of life in non fatal conditions- cataract, infertility, mental heath problems

preventing and treating genetic disorders - screening for down’s syndrome

care- elderly

Question 10

What is the difference between primary and secondary prevention?

Answer 10

Primary is preventing it happening in the first place- smoking, diet

Secondary is preventing it happening again- screening for disease cuased by smoking