Professional Documents
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Intro Unit Determinants
Intro Unit Determinants
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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A definition of “determinants” and “health”
We have looked at the determinants of health in year 12 but in year 13
we need to have a wider understanding of what determines our health
and how these determinants affect our wellbeing.
For a really good explanation of this, you can look up this article:
http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/power_inequities/
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http://www.who.int/hia/evidence/doh/en/
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• Personal determinants – genetics, age or gender play a part in
determining lifespan, healthiness and the likelihood of
developing certain illnesses.
• Lifestyle determinants – these include our personal
behaviours and coping strategies, ie balanced eating, keeping
active, smoking, drinking, and how we deal with life’s stresses
and challenges all affect health.
• Social determinants – these include the social and
psychological environments, early childhood environments and
work conditions that can directly affect health and wellbeing.
Everything from where a person is on the social gradient, if they
have social support or are socially excluded, in employment or
not, access to transport, their early life conditions, any
addictions, access to healthy food and stress can have either a
positive or negative impact on a person’s health.
THE DETERMINANTS
Income
Income inequality has increased dramatically in NZ. The number of
people on benefits is increasing and Maori and Pacific Islanders are
over-represented in low income groups. Housing costs are the largest
single cause of poverty (refer to Activity 2 on page xxxx). The
strongest evidence about those who are vulnerable to ill health relates
to low income. Single-parent households with children are by far the
largest household type living in poverty.
Housing
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Houses which are damp, cold and overcrowded are not healthy
environments and are associated with higher rates of meningitis,
tuberculosis, measles and mental health problems. Rising rental costs
and house prices will worsen the problem.
Education
Education is critical in determining people’s social and economic
position and thus their health. Initiatives such as Te Kohunga Reo have
improved Maori educational opportunities; however, many more Maori
students are leaving school without qualifications, and the gap
between Maori and non-Maori achievement is widening.
Socio-economic Factors
Low birth weight, which is a risk factor for health problems throughout
life, has been found to be associated with lower social class. People in
higher socio-economic groups are less likely to smoke and rate their
health as poor. Chronic infections are more common in lower socio-
economic groups, including HPV (genital warts) which is associated
with cervical cancer.
Un/employment
Occupational injuries are an issue in NZ. Eg: Exposure to toxins,
machinery accidents, falls, driving accidents. Position in the
workplace is also a factor: Top managers have better health and longer
lives than people below them in the workplace. Having control over
your work is important for good health.
The importance of earning a living is not only for financial reasons, but
also mental health and social reasons. Unemployment increases the
risk of premature death (particularly men).
Distribution of Income
Links have been made between the distribution of income in a society
and the health of people in that society. Death and poor health is
lower in countries with a more egalitarian distribution of income (a
narrow gap between peoples’ earnings) than in countries with a large
gap between the rich and the poor.
Sociability
Social support enhances health. Social isolation is associated with
illness. People who are married have lower mortality rates than those
who are single, divorced or widowed. Individuals with strong ties to
family, friends and community have better health than those who live
alone or do not belong to any groups.
Environmental Factors
Environmental pollution causes 2% of cancer deaths throughout the
world. Rates for meningitis are 74% higher in overcrowded areas. Low
income people have greater exposure to environmental toxins. Some
areas are more toxic than others due to industrial waste sites and
factories. These areas are also likely to be more deprived in amenable
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services such as schools, transport, or health care facilities.
Employment opportunities may be hard to come by.
Gender
Women have longer life expectancy than men, but suffer more
psychological problems throughout life. Women also have more time
off from work due to sickness than men. Women receive less specialist
operations in NZ than men.
Ethnicity
Internationally, being a minority ethnicity is a risk factor for sickness,
low birth weight and early death. Maori and Pacific Island life
expectancies are lower than Pakeha, and infant mortality is higher.
Fewer Maori or Pacific Islanders rate their health as being good
compared to Pakeha or Asians.
Reference
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Activity 1: Explaining and linking
determinants
Learning Outcome: Students will investigate and explain the
definition of a determinant of health for individuals and groups in
society.
2. Interpersonal
3. Societal
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Activity 1A: Determinants of health
comparative study
Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate understanding of how
determinants of health impact on the health and wellbeing of NZ youth.
Instructions: Below are listed the determinants of Health that WHO and The
New Zealand Health Strategy have decided are critical for population health
and wellbeing. Individually list the determinants you believe are critical for
your health and wellbeing and place these in the third column. Discuss as a
class and add ideas. Decide whether these determinants link to the WHO
and/or Health Strategy determinants, and tick in the respective columns to
the right.
2. Stress 2. Age
4. Social 4. Ethnicity
exclusion
5. Work 5. Income
6. Unemployment 6. Employment
8. Addiction 8. Housing
9. Food 9. Sense of
control over
life
circumstances
10. Transport
10. Access to
health care
services
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Activity 2: Linking determinants to health outcomes – market rents
Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate understanding of the links between a determinant and health
outcomes for a particular situation.
Using the PHAC model, choose any specific determinant and plot similar links to the effects on the health outcomes of the
people affected on the next page.
Increase in
infectious diseases
Overcrowding
eg meningococcal
disease
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Sourced from Public Health Advisory
Possible causal pathways between _____________________________ and
health outcomes for people in this
situation:_____________________________________.
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Activity 3: Personal Profiles
Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate knowledge and
understanding of the effects the determinants of health have on
individuals, including themselves.
Task One:
For the profiles below, suggest the determinants of health that could be
affecting the person and how these determinants could be
helping/harming their health.
Refer to all of the determinants that you believe are relevant, such as:
Lifestyle (personal behaviours), social status, social support, physical
environment, education, gender, political system, age.
ONE
Sarah is 43 years old. She has a high-stress job and she often has to work late.
Consequently she doesn’t get much exercise and has to eat on the run. Sarah
lives by herself in an apartment in the middle of Auckland city. She earns a
good salary and can afford health insurance. Lately she has been smoking and
drinking more than normal because work is extra-busy.
TWO
Jeff is in his mid-30’s. He is a fitness-freak – he goes to the gym every day of
the week. He is a vegetarian and eats a lot of fresh fruit and veges. Jeff does
not smoke and drinks socially with his friends (they get together a couple of
times a week). Jeff loves his job – he is an architect and gets to go out on work
sites quite often. Jeff lives in a small city in Canada and enjoys the free health
care system and political stability his country has to offer.
THREE
Nkosi lives in South Africa in a shanty town. He lives just out of a main city,
where 20% of the population is HIV positive. Nkosi does not have HIV. Nkosi
has a job that gives him an average wage in his area – this converts to about
$25 NZ dollars a month. He walks 10KM each morning and night to get to work.
Nkosi does not smoke or drink alcohol, and his diet is very limited because he
can’t afford to spend much on food (he eats mostly rice).
Task Two:
Write a page on the topic: “What are the main determinants that affect
my health”.
Include:
--Helping and harming factors
--A mix of all levels of the determinants
--Reasons why these determinants are the main determinants that affect
your health
--What determinants could be altered to improve your health (if any).
--Make some comparisons between you and someone who has a life like
Nkosi.
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Compare (what is the same?)
Contrast (what is different?)
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Task One: The main determinants that are affecting each
person’s health
Sarah:
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Jeff:
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Nkosi:
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Task Two: The main determinants that affect my health
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Activity 4: Determinants of health in our school
Learning Outcome: Students will investigate the links between the
determinants in the school and the effects on the health or well-being of
the students enrolled at that school.
Use the profile of our school below to suggest the determinants of health
that could be affecting the students/teachers at this school and how these
determinants could be helping/harming their health.
Refer to all of the determinants that you believe are relevant, such as:
Lifestyle (personal behaviours), social status, social support, physical
environment, education, gender, political system, age.
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Activity 5: In Sickness and Inequity
Reference: The Ministry of Education (2004). The Curriculum in Action:
Making Meaning, Making a Difference. Learning Media; Page 56.
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3. Do you agree or disagree with this point of view? Explain your answer
in relation to the determinants of health.
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5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of an egalitarian society?
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In sickness and inequity
In an interview with Kelly Andrew for The Press (Christchurch, 4 August
2001), Professor Ichiro Kawachi, an ex-New Zealander and now an
associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, expressed
concern that the growing gap between the rich and the poor in New
Zealand could be hazardous to its health. Extracts from the article follow.
Eating the right food, exercise, and well-funded public hospitals are
virtually irrelevant to the good health and longevity of a society. Instead,
the most important determinant of health is living in an egalitarian
society.
But, he reassures, we are nowhere near the level of his home for the past
10 years. The United States is one of the unhealthiest countries in the
world, and the most unequal. The US spends 13 per cent of its gross
domestic product (GDP) on health care. New Zealand spends about half
that amount. Yet New Zealanders have a longer life expectancy and lower
infant-mortality rate than US residents.
"There is zero correlation between how much is spent on health care and
how healthy society tends to be ... Americans are obsessed about
maintaining their health ... but they have terrible health statistics."
"I firmly believe in the benefits of the free market. I believe the market
should deliver what people want. But there are things that the market
does poorly, like trying to provide for social cohesion."
"When the gap between rich and poor widens there's an accompanying
erosion of social capital. People become more selfish, less trusting of each
other. Volunteerism and civic engagement goes down and we become a
careless society."
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from Andrew, K., 'In Sickness and Inequity', The Press (Christchurch),
4 August 2001, page 6
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Activity 6: Recommendations for Equitable
Outcomes
Learning Outcome: Students will investigate and explore the health
promoting strategies and recommendations for ensuring more equitable
outcomes for different individuals and groups in society.
You will need to give details of your recommendations and explain why
you believe this would be useful. Refer back to the information on
determinants (particularly the NZ information and research) to help you.
Example:
Distribution of income:
Determinant 1:__________________________
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Determinant 2:__________________________
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Activity 7: Putting it all together – the overview
in health
Learning Outcome: Students will demonstrate knowledge and
understanding of how the determinants of health link into the ‘bigger
picture’ of the underlying concepts in the health curriculum.
On the following page, fill in the blanks with the four underlying concepts
that you see best fit into the diagram of the overview in health. Put the
relevant determinants into the spaces that contribute to health issues for
individuals and groups in society.
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Getting the Whole Picture of Health
UNDERLYING CONCEPT
UNDERLYING CONCEPT
UNDERLYING CONCEPT
7.
6.
5. Personal,
Personal, CONSEQUENCES for interpersonal and
interpersonal personal, interpersonal societal STRATEGIES
and societal and societal well-being
4. to bring about health-
INFLUENCES on the related to the health enhancing change
stated health issue issue
3.
2. …sometimes,
Sustainable health
consequences can’t be
strategies need to
ignored and need to be
1. emphasise the actions
addressed as well
needed to change the
factors that influence
the health issue
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ADDITIONAL PAGES FOR NOTES:
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