Social Determinants of health. Homelessness. Socioeconomic status

Social Determinants of Health
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Social Determinants of Health
Identify what you think are the three most important social determinants of health. Explain why you think these are important
The health status or conditions of a person or community are influenced by several elements that work together. Therefore, whether a person is healthy or not is determined by the environment or conditions that they live in. To a greater extent, factor such as the socioeconomic status, and where they live have significant impacts on the health status of a person. Some of the social determinants of health include: homelessness, socioeconomic and housing.
* Homelessness
Homelessness is a significant social determinant of health. Homeless individuals are exposed to worse health conditions because of poor living conditions and lack of food. Moreover, self-care resources are limited to homeless people (Raphael, 2016). For instance, a diabetic patient may find it difficult managing the condition because they do not have an appropriate place for storing insulin and they lack access to nutritious food. Moreover, may live in areas which are inaccessible, for example, wooded areas which are hard to access due to lack of means of transportation. The inaccessibility of these areas creates challenges to healthcare providers who find it hard reaching the homes of homeless individuals and establishment of the patient-healthcare provide relationship which is necessary in care. Moreover, most people are without housing and they are forced to live in the streets, share a house or shelters resulting in overcrowding in small houses as well as shelters (Raphael, 2016). Since most people do not have a home of their own, they find themselves living in close proximity with others increasing the risks of transferable diseases and illness. This overcrowding may cause stress and depression to some people who turn up to drug abuse and sexual behaviour endangering their health status.
* Socioeconomic status
Socioeconomic status (SES) is another fundamental social determinant of health. Poor people have worse health statuses than rich individuals. This was evident when infectious diseases were a problem and where there was overcrowding and poor sanitation. This is also evident in these modern times where such diseases are no longer a threat to the country, but instead of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart diseases which are major causes of morbidity and mortality. Individuals from the lower SES class experience the highest rates of morbidity and mortality from these diseases due to various factors such as insufficient access to nutritious food, smoking which is common in the group, and lack of exercise (Raphael, 2016). Additionally, lower SES affects the accessibility of resources that are necessary in mitigating the consequences of a disease.
* Housing
Housing is another factor which is being strongly associated to health outcomes. This factor is addressed from four pathways which include; stability, quality and safety, affordability as well as the neighbourhood. The stability perspective holds that people who are homeless or have housing instability due to frequent movements and rent problems are more likely to have poor health conditions when compared to their stable counterparts (Raphael, 2016). Majority of people who experience housing instability are likely to suffer from traumas and depression which may lead to early pregnancies as well as drug abuse.
The quality and safety of housing considers various environmental factors. Exposures to lead in homes have significant impacts such as brain and nervous system damages. Substandard housing conditions dirty carpets, poor ventilation, pest infestation and water leaks affects health outcomes of individuals (Raphael, 2016). Moreover, exposures to high or low temperatures have significant effects on an individual’s health outcomes.
The affordability pathway addresses the issue of what percentage of their income individuals spend on housing. Making housing easily affordable reduces the percentage of their income that they spend on housing. In some cases, Canadians may choose to spend a higher percentage of their income on housing to support their living in neighborhoods where health-promoting factors are easily accessible. However, lack of affordable housing has significant impacts on families’ abilities to address other important expenses creating serious financial stress (Raphael, 2016). Families that have difficulties in paying their rent and other utility bills are less likely to access the essential resources of medical care increasing their likelihood to postpone the needed care than those who have access to affordable housing. Moreover, families that have difficulties in paying their rent are more likely to have insufficient supply of nutritious food and miss the prescribed medicines than those who have access to affordable housing.
Another pathway that has been considered in establishing how housing affects the health status of people is the neighbourhoods’ social features such as crime, segregation measures and social capital. Living in close proximity to neighbourhoods with high crime and segregation rates widens health disparities of people since it affects their access to healthcare, nutritious food, jobs and other essential amenities.
Discuss how Canadian society shapes the quality and distribution of these social determinants of health
Health is influenced by various social factors such as homelessness, socioeconomic status (SES) and housing. However, both homelessness and housing tend to be dependent on SES. The SES includes occupational status, income and level of education. Despite the growing acceptance of the importance of social determinants of health in addressing health issues in the society, the link between these social determinants and societal systems is often ignored. For example, income is identified as a social determinant of health under SES but governments are not raising the minimum wages or increasing the social assistance to its citizens. Governmental authorities shape the living circumstances of its citizens by influencing the distribution of income and availability of affordable housing. Socioeconomic status is the most relevant social determinant of health and has significant impacts on housing and homelessness. This can be addressed from two domains.
The first domain is the provision of economic security. Good health is shaped by the availability and access of enough resources that ensure affordable housing and supportive environments. Much of this domain depends on employment situations and wages that influence housing. Poverty rates in the society are an indicator of how this influences the social determinants of health. Another domain that can be used to demonstrate how the society shapes the social determinants of health is families. A family’s dedication to various issues such as availability of nutritious food, education and financial transfers (Raphael, 2016). Families that have financial constraints are more likely to be homeless, have limited access to affordable housing and lower socioeconomic status.
However, all these domains can be argued to be affected by public policies which shape the societies. One policy is the health care, income support and social services (Raphael, 2016). These include the government the percentage of the GDP that the government spends on income support to help low income earners get out of poverty. It also involves employment support to reduce unemployment rates in the society. Canada is doing poorly in supporting families to come out of poverty or find employment to enable them meet their basic needs. This deteriorates the situation where poor families find it hard to meet their basic needs.
Another policy which shapes the above mentioned determinants is the housing policy which is market-oriented (Raphael, 2016). Canadian housing market is dominated by the private sector which charges higher rates making it difficult for most families to afford them and meet other expenses. This results in most people ending homeless or going for houses which they can be able to pay rent but in worse conditions. These worse conditions threaten their health status.
Create a portrait of three Canadians that describes how their health is being adversely affected by the social determinants of health they are experiencing
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