Social Determinant of Health - Essay Example

Social Determinant of Health al Affiliation Social Determinant of Health Introduction The social determinants of health are crucial elements in determining what health models to apply at a given point. The social spaces vary depending on the different factors. These factors could positively influence a given group. Other factors hinder effective healthcare. The various models deployed by different health practitioner aim at ensuring each person attain the much-needed help to ensure they recover from a given illness. The social determinants of health play a crucial in determining where the wellness goal is archived. The society creates a hierarchy where those above the hierarchy tend to benefits from different social factors. The lower end of the hierarchy becomes the subject of the misfortunes within a given community. The essay will focus on the Martin’s family with an aim of determining how the social determinants of health are crucial. The level health is determined by the way people access different amenities. The social determinants are variables under which health providers depend on while designing health models. Family Description The Martin’s family is an extended family with a number of risk factors that determine their health status. The family lineage consist of hereditary diseases and habits that tend to recur a cross the family members. Mary Martin is married to Dominic and after 52 years, she is left a widower. The family had three children with the younger one deceased. Isaac and Julia are both alcoholics and Isaac died from an accident. Gilbert’s wife divorces his first wife and marries a second wife. The marriage results two children. His first marriage on the other hand bore the pair a son. The first wife suffered from asthma. The second wife has a history of schizophrenia. The ex-wife parents were alcoholic, her father died from lung cancers, and her mother dies of breast cancer. The family has a history of asthma, cancer and alcoholism (The Canadian Neighborhood n.d). Culture The Martins family has a history of alcoholism. The factor puts the family at risk of passing the habit to future generation. The family linage has had a history of alcoholism. The male population tends to be at a higher risk of becoming an alcoholic than the female population. The family tends to adapt a culture of alcoholism. The environment under which a person stay, could influence their heath and habits that constitute to their health habits. The alcoholism tends to be a major factor in terms of the family health is concern. Children born from this family will tend to adapt alcoholic habits. The culture would tend to constitute to other health risk including lung cancer and other illness associated with alcoholism. The male population within this family is at a higher risk of adapting these habits. Culture influence the way of life of different society. Among family members alcoholism tend to be a recurring factor. The culture of alcoholism tends to affect the way of life. According to Kozier (2008), culture determines the economic and social life of different institutions. In this case, the family would adapt practices that are influenced by the environment. The social factors are adopted given the fact that parent tend to be less concern about their children. Children tend to adopt practices based on their parent’s ways of life. Alcoholism remains a risk factor in this family. Culture tends to impact negatively on the family and the way of life. Three generations within the family tend to be suffering alcoholism and some case has led to death. A change ion culture and practices within the family would be essential. The model will limit the risk factor and promote healthy living within the family. Culture could be positive given the impact on health. The culture inherited by the family members has a role to play in determining their health. Social support The family has been subject to many deaths and other misfortunes associated with death. Family members tend to either to orphans, single parents or having stepmothers. The trend has a negative impact on the social environments. The children tend to lack the much-needed social support and return adopt some practices that affect negatively on their health. Social support is among the social determinants of health. Failure by the family to support the younger members create an environment where the members considered themselves dissatisfied and adopt means that will compensate lack of family support. The high number of children per parent in this family is an issue. A large family is difficult to support given other economic and psychological proponents needed for a child to grow psychologically. The Martins tend to lack the needed components effectively raise a stress free generation. The social support enables a family to adapt healthy leaving practices (Marmot & Wilkinson, 2005). The social environment extends beyond the family setting. A community can play part in determining what its members would adapt. The family structure defines the level of social support. Special support involves community-based organization that act on risk factors and ensure members within a community adapt positive behaviors. The family exhibits elements of external social support. Julia is rehabilitating from alcoholism. The move tends to impact positively on other family members. The lack of both family and community support could be a risk factor towards health. Julia recovery process is attributed to the death of his brother. The external environment offers social support that family members fail to offer. The social support is needed to ensure members within a family adapt health practices. Gender The female gender in the family tends to be at a higher risk compared to the male. The female population is tasked with ensuring the family members are intact after the male population died of alcoholism or are divorced. All female members within this family tend to at a higher risk of life threatening illnesses compared to the male population. Different generations along the lineage tend to suffer from hereditary diseases. Julia is hypertension and Jennifer suffers from severe asthma. The females within this group tend to suffer from behavioral related illnesses such as alcoholism. The traits place the female gender at in this family most vulnerable to diseases and other health risks. According to Mikkonen and Raphael (2010), gender plays a role in determining the risk factors. Health promotion The social support is a crucial element in this family. In this case, the Martins need to improvise models that ensure moral support to the younger generation and enable them overcome alcoholism and other behaviors that would jeopardize their health. The social spaces need to a crucial element within this family. The family heath history of hypertension should be a motivation of other family members to engage in physical exercises to limit heart related illness. Occasional checkups would deal with risk factors and work on mechanism that will promote healthy livings among the Martins. Specific diets would be essential in ensuring the family members live a healthy life. Reducing the risk factors requires a multistep approach that entails preventive and curative models (Cole & Fielding, 2007). Conclusion The families exhibit different social determinants of health. There is a link between gender, social support and culture and the health states of a person. Families tend to exhibit similar traits that determining the level of health. Dealing with this determinant of health requires model that reduces on the risk factors and develop models that ensure individuals promote their personal health. Society requires a comprehensive plan that work with family history and reduce factors that determine. The social determinants of health are essential as they limit risk factor while at the same time promote health. Reference “The Canadian Neighborhood” retrieved from http://www.thecanadianneighbourhood.ca Cole, B. L. & Fielding, J.E. (2007). Health Impact Assessment: A Tool to Help Policy Makers Understand Health Beyond Health Care. Annual Review of Public Health 28 pp393-41 Kozier, B. (2008). Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, Process and Practice. Toronto: Pearson Marmot. M. & Wilkinson, R. (2005). Social Determinants of Health: The Solid Facts. Oxford: Oxford University Press Mikkonen, J., & Raphael, D. (2010). Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts. 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