Social Determinant That Affect Native American Health

Health
The topic of health and its impacts on poor health have been an issue in many reservations. A key factor in living a happy, stress free life is the state of health that one is experiencing. Being healthy goes beyond staying “fit”. It helps lower the risk of certain conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. Proper health can also help with increasing lifespan, wellbeing, and reduces stress. Some of the requirements to being healthy include eating a balanced diet, getting proper exercise, and favorable social conditions. The last point in the previous sentence, favorable social conditions, is a must. One cannot simply eat well and exercise alone to become healthy, because social conditions can also hinder an individual’ s health.

This includes fry bread, which is not a native food for Indian Americans. Fry bread, which is made from butter and fat, is very unhealth and has become a part of some Native peoples’ diets. More foods that hurt the health of Native people is commodity foods. When the government shut off the water supply for the Tohono O’odham tribe, their ability to grow food became impossible. To fix this, the government decided to supply the tribe with commodity foods. These are highly processed, high fat foods. They mostly come in cans and can last for years if not eaten, due to the large presence of preservatives.
The previously stated social determinants of health, I think, all have a similar impact on community health issues. This is because there is a common string on problems, all contributing to the same outcome of suppressed health. Poor health care and food go together, but can be easily fixed by the government. However, there are a few social determinants of health that cause more concerns for Native communities than food or health care. Hopelessness and perpetual poverty have been the big issues cannot be put in the same category as health care and diet as they cannot be changed as easily as health care or

government. This includes the right to land and self-governance. Many of the past polices have contributed to poor economic conditions and stereotypes of Native people. During the expansion of the U.S., Native people were seen as “in the way” and uncultured. So, in turn, the government made policy to solve this problem. Out of this came many acts, including the Removal Act of 1830. This act forced Indians to leave their homeland and move to the west of the Mississippi river. As the U.S. grew, Indian communities were forced onto smaller plots of land, crippling their economy and destroying their assets. This has led to decades of stagnant economic growth and prosperity for tribes. Due to the perpetual poverty of many communities, many Native American people have gained the sense of hopelessness. This hopelessness can lead to stress and illness due to the constant worry of supplying for basic needs. Having this type of outlook can lead to people turning to violence and even suicide as they see no path forward. This type of poverty is very difficult to overcome, especially since it has been ongoing for such a long time. Although the government has been trying to help in the last few years, it is truly not enough to fully overturn the