Social Determinants Of Health Essay

Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, all of which have an impact on their health. The social determinants of health entail a person's age, sex, genetic makeup, health behaviors, as well as their social and community networks, socioeconomic, cultural and environmental conditions, and health systems. Social determinants of health are shaped by money, power, and resources and influence health inequities, which are the unfair and avoidable health differences between different groups of people between or within countries. A community or population's social determinants of health can determine and lead to the unequal distribution of resources which has great influence on a person’s

Examples of social determinants of health include safe housing, transportation, and neighborhoods, racism, discrimination, and violence, education, job opportunities, and income, access to nutritious foods and physical activity opportunities, polluted air and water, and language and literacy skills. Disparities in these determinants can lead to disparities and inequalities in health and disease. Since the social determinants of health play such an important role in health, it is beneficial to prioritize the improvement of them, for the betterment of society as a whole. In order to change the determinants, first we must identify the individual factors and take action to improve them. Doing so will require action at all levels of society, an increase in the availability of resources, and a determined commitment for action. All sectors of society, especially education, transportation, and housing must take action in order to improve the conditions of people’s social, physical, and economic

I am fortunate enough to have grown up with access to safe housing, which many children, particularly in urban and low-income communities, do not have the benefit of enjoying. Children living in substandard housing in these communities are more likely to be exposed to asthma triggers like mold, pests, dust, and poor ventilation and heating. In low-income neighborhoods due to the high demand for affordable housing, landlords have little incentive to address housing issues facilitating asthma triggers, therefore they often go unanswered. As a result of such unsafe housing, children are more likely to be admitted for their asthma and have higher emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Despite being diagnosed with asthma as a child, I was able to easily manage the disease without many severe flare ups greatly due to my access to safe housing. Another social determinant of health that allowed me to control my asthma well while growing up was access to good air quality. I grew up in a suburban area with plenty of access to fresh air and minimal exposure to pollution. Children in urban areas are often exposed to higher levels of pollution and smog which raises the risk for asthma. This is because in urban areas, not only are there higher levels of traffic and construction pollution, but due to the high density of people and homes,