Social Determinants Of Health

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This paper carefully discusses two different definitions of the social determinants of health and compares some of the determinants of health from two main sources to show the similarities in them and also getting information from other sources. Definitions of the Social Determinants of Health Health is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of illness or infirmity” (World Health Organization, 2018). Health has always been a very big issue in the society, but everyone only focuses on the traditional medical conditions but not the environment and the socio-economic factors that affect health. This paper is going to focus on the social determinants of health.…show more content…
This conference helped identify 16 social determinants of health, which include Aboriginal status, disability, early life, education, employment and working conditions, food insecurity, health services, gender, housing, income and income distribution, race, social exclusion, social, social safety net, and unemployment and employment security. Studies have indicated that various social determinants of health have much more influence on health and incidence of illness than traditional biomedical and factors that relate to behavior. There is also proof that the quality of the social determinants that Canadians experience help clarify the wide health inequalities that exist among Canadians. How long Canadians are expected to live, or if they experience a disease is determined by the living conditions of Canadians and this also goes for the health of their children. When these living conditions are considered by the government, it is usually to look for the Canadians that their living conditions put them at risk for making unhealthy lifestyle choices instead of creating public policies to improve…show more content…
Housing is absolutely necessary for living a sound life and therefore, having an unsafe, unaffordable or unreliable housing increases the risk of numerous health issues. Canada is considered one of the richest countries in the world as there are plenty of resources to ensure safe and quality housing for everyone because the provision on housing and shelter is considered one of the basic human rights. However, in a recent research on homelessness in Canada by the Homeless Hub (2015), states that “one in five Canadian households are unable to find affordable and healthy homes”. Therefore, many homeless Canadians result in accessing homeless emergency services or sleep outside in a year. For those with houses, there is an issue of affordability as the price for housing is increasing and those renting, there is a considerable number of people who are paying more in rent than what is considered
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