Major Determinants of health Flashcards
What is Marx (communist) definition of health
The capacity to do productive work
What is Parsons definition of health?
A state of optimum capacity for effective performance of the mind
WHO definition of health
A complete state of physical, mental and social wellbeing and not just the absence of illness or disease
Best definition of health?
A state of wellbeing conforming to the ideals of a prevailing culture
i.e. health is multidimensional and a personal construct so means different things to different people
What biological factors determine health?
Age, Sex (males more likely to die than females from birth) genetic predispositions
Are set you cannot alter these
Lifestyle factors that determine health
Malnutrition (big problem and cause of death in less economically developed nations)
Over-nutrition Obesity heart disease diabetes cancer
Smoking
Alcohol consumption
Physical activity and diet
Environmental factors that can determine health
Physicochemical factors e.g. air pollution water contamination radiation
Biological microbes
Socioeconomic and socio-political social cohesion and inequalities that exist in society such as access heath care and education as well as employment and equal opportunities
Why has life expectancy increased?
Due to improvements in infrastructure and education not merely health
health care has played a role but a minor one (exception would be polio vaccine)
What are the roles of modern medicine
Prevent death (acute and infectious diseases) longer term and short term assistance
Improve length and quality of survival in fatal conditions
Improving quality of life in non fatal conditions e.g infertility
Preventing and treating genetic disorders
Care for the elderly (ageing population)
What is an important overriding concept around health and its determinants?
Most health is lost and gained outside the health care setting
society affects lifestyle
How can deprivation impact health?
Lower life expectancy
Poorer education
Less employment opportunities
Only be able to afford poorer housing
May be damp cause respiratory issues
May not be able to afford healthier food
Affect on mental health (especially parents housing may be making children ill)
Poor mental health and poor job prospects more likely to use alcohol drugs smoking
Leads to even worse health
Parents may not teach children the importance of school children may no go to school
Stuck in a cycle of deprivation
How is health associated with socioeconomic deprivation
Behavioural and cultural:
people in more deprived areas more likely to smoke take drugs, not exercise have a poorer diet
Psychosocial
the stress of working in a poorly paid job with low autonomy creates biological change in the body that in-turn result in patho-physiological changes
Material:
the direct effects of poverty e.g. poor housing
