School of Nursing & Allied Health Sciences
Program: Diploma of Nursing
Unit Code: NU 662
Unit: Child Health
Topic: Determinants of Health
Unit Leader: Mr Caleb Mark
Introduction
• What makes some people healthy and others unhealthy?
• How can we create a society in which everyone has a chance to live a long
healthy life?
• This is where determinants of health is very important
• We need to know what are the important factors that determines individual, family
and our society's health
• We need to understand how the social, political, environment, economic and
cultural factors influences ones health with particular emphasis on health issues
affecting the health of our children in Solomon Island
Determinants of Health?
Def. The range of personal, social, economic, and environmental
factors that influence ones health status (Braveman & Gottlieb,
2014).
1.SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS:
The social factors and physical conditions of the environment in which people are
born, live, learn, play, work, and age.
a. Cultural beliefs and practices- superstition, food taboos, gender issues
b. Educational background
c. Employment / Income
d. Social services-schools, clinics, accessibility (location,road,transport)
affordability)
e. Social relationship & support etc…
f. Social exclusion
• Studies revealed that ‘’the strongest predictor of our health and wellbeing is our
position on the social gradient (the 'social ladder‘/social status)’’.
• Whether measured by income, education, place of residence or occupation, those
people at the top of the ladder have the most power and resources, and on
average live longer and healthier lives.
• Those people at the bottom have the least power and usually run at least twice
the risk of serious illness and premature death as those near the top
Mortality trends by wealth quintile (<5years)
60
50
Mortality per 1000 live births
40
Neonatal Mortality
Infant Mortality
30
Under-5 Mortality
20
10
0
Lowest Second Middle Fourth Highest
Skilled birth attendance by background characteristics (SIDHS 2007)
2.ENVIROMENTAL FACTORS:
The environment in which a man lives can also affect his health
a. Where and how one is brought up (nurtured)
b. Overcrowding
c. The surroundings- (clean, friendly people?)
d. Our working environment (public safety policies e.g. work place, road)
e. Pollution-water,air,sea,noise
3.Hereditary factors
oGenetic make up- inherited physical and mental makeup from their parents
oinherit the tendencies and susceptibilities to acquire diseases.
oe.g. Obesity, hypertension, peptic ulcers, diabetes, depression etc… which
often run in families
4.Personal Factors : Health practices and coping mechanism
a. Some personal factors can also affect our health
o Life style- eating habits, sleep, stress, exercise,decicions & choices etc…
b. Simple health practices at home
o Personal hygiene- hand washing, regular shower etc...
o How well one can cope up with stresses in life
Summary
Conclusion
• If we need to address factors that affects ones health, we need to focus on
the issues most relevant to people's lives.e.g. if a person is struggling to
survive financially, is unemployed or in poor housing, then changing
individual risk behaviours such as smoking, nutrition or physical activity is not
a priority for them.
• For most vulnerable people, the most immediate need is usually to focus on
the social determinants of health.
• Addressing the determinants of health is a cross-sectoral and cross-
departmental approach.
REFERENCES:
Braveman, P. and Gottlieb, L.(2014). The social determinants of health: it's time to consider the
causes of the causes. Public health reports, 129(1_suppl2), pp.19-31.
Commission on Social Determinants of Health .(2008). Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health
Equity Through Action on the Social Determinants of Health
Delaune, SC., & Lander, P.K. (2006) Fundamentals of Nursing: Standard and Practice. (4th
Ed).USA: Demar Cengage Learning.
Mikkonen, Juha; Raphael, Dennis .(2010). Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts
Simandan, D. (2018). Rethinking the health consequences of social class and social mobility.
Social Science & Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.
Wilkinson, Richard; Marmot, Michael, eds. (2003). The Social Determinants of Health: The Solid
Facts
Thank you!
