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Results for “Social Determinants of Health”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Use of a staff administered structured questionnaire to identify relevant life-style issues and social-health determinants in a sexual and reproductive health service.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a staff-administered questionnaire to identify life-style issues and social-health determinants. DESIGN: Structured questionnaire administered by a health professional after dealing with the primary reason for attendance. SETTING: Community-based UK sexual and reproductive health service. POPULATION: First 1329 selected clinic patients comprising 1018 women attending Family Planning and 161 women plus 150 men attending Genitourinary Medicine; 47% were aged under 25. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Identification of relevant health-risk taking, life-style issues, and unaddressed health concerns. Participants were offered appropriate support, information and referrals. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty-four (23%) of the Family Planning women and 83 (52%) of the Genitourinary Medicine women [plus 103 (69%) of the men] reported two or more sexual partners in the last year. A third of participants denied regular condom use. Six per cent of women and 5% of men questioned had previously been forced to have sex. Eleven per cent of men admitted to having paid for sex and 9% of women disclosed physical assault (one-quarter in the home). Eight per cent of women and 7% of men had unresolved issues relating to previous miscarriage, termination, or stillbirth. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to identify relevant life-style issues and social determinants of health during routine practice using a staff-administered questionnaire. The resulting information may not otherwise have been disclosed and may impact significantly on health and care delivery. The information collected provides opportunities for both individuals and service planners to address wider health needs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

The utility of social capital in research on health determinants.

Social capital has become a popular subject in the literature on determinants of health. The concept of social capital has been used in the sociological, political science, and economic development literatures, as well as in the health inequalities literature. Analysis of its use in the health inequalities literature suggests that each theoretical tradition has conceptualized social capital differently. Health researchers have employed a wide range of social capital measures, borrowing from several theoretical traditions. Given the wide variation in these measures and an apparent lack of consistent theoretical or empirical justification for their use, conclusions about the likely role of "social capital" on population health may be overstated or even misleading. Elements of a research agenda are proposed to further elucidate the potential role of factors currently subsumed under the rubric of "social capital."

Community Participation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Social determinants of health inequalities.

The gross inequalities in health that we see within and between countries present a challenge to the world. That there should be a spread of life expectancy of 48 years among countries and 20 years or more within countries is not inevitable. A burgeoning volume of research identifies social factors at the root of much of these inequalities in health. Social determinants are relevant to communicable and non-communicable disease alike. Health status, therefore, should be of concern to policy makers in every sector, not solely those involved in health policy. As a response to this global challenge, WHO is launching a Commission on Social Determinants of Health, which will review the evidence, raise societal debate, and recommend policies with the goal of improving health of the world's most vulnerable people. A major thrust of the Commission is turning public-health knowledge into political action.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Serious crisis in the practice of international health by the World Health Organization: the Commission on Social Determinants of Health.

The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) is the latest effort by the World Health Organization to improve health and narrow health inequalities through action on social determinants. The CSDH does not note that much work has already been done in this direction, does not make a sufficient attempt to analyze why earlier efforts failed to yield the desired results, and does not seem to have devised approaches to ensure that it will be more successful this time. The CSDH intends to complement the work of the earlier WHO Commission on Macroeconomics and Health, which has not had the desired impact, and it is unclear how the CSDH can complement work that suffers from such serious infirmities. Inadequacies of both commissions reflect a crisis in the practice of international health at the WHO, stemming from a combination of unsatisfactory administrative practices and lack of technical competence to provide insights into the problems afflicting the most needy countries. Often the WHO has ended up distorting the rudimentary health systems of the poor countries, by pressuring them into accepting health policies, plans, and programs that lack sound scientific bases. The WHO no longer seems to take into account historical and political factors when it sets out to improve the health situation in low-income countries--which is supposed to be the focus of the CSDH. An alternative approach is suggested.

Advisory Committees↗
PubMed2006

Federal, State and Territory government responses to health inequities and the social determinants of health in Australia.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Planned actions by governments can play an important part in addressing the social determinants of health and health inequities. We assess the extent to which Australian health departments are committed to health equity as a core value, and the extent to which strategic directions and policies show evidence of action and achievement in reducing health inequities and attention to the social determinants of health. METHODS: Key documents guiding each health department since 2000 were sought from a key informant in each jurisdiction (State/Territory/federal). An analysis was made of the content in terms of stated values, strategies, objectives, intended and current initiatives, collaborations, funding, and reporting of achievements in relation to the reduction of health inequities and the attention accorded to the social determinants of health. RESULTS: All jurisdictions are explicitly or implicitly committed to reducing health inequities and to addressing the social determinants of health to at least a limited extent. The extent of commitment varies from those who make a clear statement of the importance of achieving health equity at both whole-of-government and health department level, to others who have extremely limited commitment. There is also variation in the extent to which directions are transformed into planned initiatives to improve health outcomes or access to health services for disadvantaged groups or areas, and variations in the degree of monitoring and evaluation. CONCLUSION: Although substantial health inequities exist in Australia there is explicit or implicit recognition of the underlying value of equity within all jurisdictions and some policies designed to increase health equity in all. However, in most jurisdictions health equity could be more explicitly incorporated into core government and health department strategies and initiatives, and there is room for the development of the capacity to monitor change over time in access to services, quality of care, and improved health outcomes.

Australia↗
PubMed2003

A public health model of the social determinants of health.

As we move forward in the new century, epidemiologists and public health practitioners are faced with the challenge of reviewing the current direction of epidemiology and its links with public health. While the history of epidemiology has been a successful and productive one, there is a danger that modern epidemiology is becoming too narrow in its scope, concerned primarily with the analysis of risk factors in individuals, while ignoring sociological and ecological perspectives of health. We argue that a theoretical framework to guide the practice of epidemiology is needed which encompasses a role for social determinants of health while simultaneously also acknowledging the importance of behaviour and biology, and the inter-connectedness of all these factors. This paper presents a public health model of social determinants of health, which provides a framework for testing the causal pathways linking social determinant variables with health care system attributes, disease inducing behaviours and health outcomes. This approach provides an improved opportunity to identify and evaluate evidence-based public health interventions, and facilitates stronger links between modern epidemiology and public health practice.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2006

Building healthy and equitable societies: what Australia can contribute to and learn from the Commission on Social Determinants of Health.

The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (the Commission) was launched by the World Health Organization in 2005. It aims to support countries and global health partners to act on social factors leading to ill-health and health inequalities. Taking action on the social determinants of health is not new for Australia. This paper provides a description of the work of the first 18 months of the Commission and relevant Australian examples. Taking action on the social determinants of health is never simple or easy even in the most supportive of policy environments. The global focus of the Commission should ensure that knowledge and examples of successful action will be collected from a diverse range of country and policy environments, particularly low to middle-income countries. Given Australia's experience, we encourage practitioners to contribute to the deliberations of the Commission. It is also critical that Australian practitioners engage with the Commission's different actors and stakeholders, particularly knowledge networks, to derive important policy lessons from the knowledge generated by the Commission.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Can education policy be health policy? Implications of research on the social determinants of health.

Research on the social determinants of health has demonstrated robust correlations between several social factors, health status, and life expectancy. Some of these factors could be modified through policy intervention. National-level public policies explicitly based on population health research are in various stages of development in many Western countries, but in spite of evident need, seemingly not at all in the United States. Because research shows such a strong association between education and good health, we offer evidence to show that at least two pressing problems in American society, namely the uneven distribution of educational attainment and health disparities linked to socioeconomic position, may be ameliorated through policy initiatives that link quality early childhood care, child development programs, and parental training in a seamless continuum with strengthened K-12 education.

Educational Status↗
PubMed2006

Social determinants of health: a veil that hides socioeconomic position and its relation with health.

The emergence of theoretical models of social determinants of health has added conceptual ambiguity to the understanding of social inequalities in health, as it is often not possible to clearly distinguish between socioeconomic position and these determinants. Whether the existence of social inequalities in health is based on differences in health or on differences in social determinants of health that are systematically associated with socioeconomic position, policymakers should be clearly informed of the importance of socioeconomic position for health. Thus, the following three basic requirements are proposed: to reach a consensus about the dimensions that reflect socioeconomic position; to agree about what are to be considered the social determinants of health and whether or not these determinants are a construct that can be distinguished from socioeconomic position; and finally, to establish which dimensions and measures of socioeconomic position are most appropriate for the evaluation of interventions that aim to reduce these inequalities.

Health Policy↗
PubMed2006

The role of the People's Health Movement in putting the social determinants of health on the global agenda.

The People's Health Movement (PHM) is a global network of people oriented health professionals and activists, academcis and researchers, campaigners and people organizations that have actively promoted the re-endorsement of the 'Health for All' principles of the Alma Ata Declaration and the importance of social determinants of health and health care. The paper outlines a series of ongoing advocacy initiatives through a PHM - WHO advocacy circle that has consistently since 2001 nudged WHO to reaffirm the Alma Ata principles and focus on the social determinants of health. This has led to an evolving dialogue with PHM and the setting up of the WHO commission on social determinants of health, in which the PHM, is actively engaged.

Australia↗
PubMed2000

Researching the rural-metropolitan health differential using the 'social determinants of health'.

Recent research indicates that the health status of rural people is inferior to that of people living in metropolitan Australia. This paper summarises the rural-metropolitan health differential and turns to the field of research being called the social determinants of health for explanations of rural health inequalities. The paper explores the ways in which psychosocial factors can interact with material, behavioural and sociocultural factors to contribute to health outcomes. It suggests that the concepts of place and rurality may be useful in future research on the determinants of population health. Further research issues are identified that need to be addressed if we are to understand the complexities of rural health disadvantage.

Australia↗
PubMed2004

Social support and its relationship to morbidity and mortality after acute myocardial infarction: systematic overview.

Among the commonly understood socioeconomic determinants of health, social change, disorganization, and poverty have been associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. One of the postulated mechanisms through which these determinants have been linked to health and illness is their relationship to social support. The health determinant, social isolation or lack of a social support network (SSN), and its effects on premature mortality after acute myocardial infarction mandate further scrutiny by the cardiovascular community for several reasons. First, as a predictor of 1-year mortality, low SSN is equivalent to many of the classic risk factors, such as elevated cholesterol level, tobacco use, and hypertension. Second, treatment of acute myocardial infarction is costly. Because low social support is associated with an increased 1-year mortality, neglecting the role of the SSN may diminish the possible gains accrued during acute-phase treatment. Therefore, lack of an SSN should be considered a risk factor for subsequent morbidity and mortality after a myocardial infarction. Finally, cardiac rehabilitation programs and other extant prevention strategies can be better used to reduce mortality after myocardial infarction. This article systematically reviews recent evidence related to SSNs to provide an update on the role of social support in cardiovascular disease-related outcomes.

Aged↗