Social Determinants of Health for Physical Activity -myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theSocial Determinants of Health for Physical Activity. Answer: Introduction Several factors contribute towards poor health of Australian people that includes limited physical activity, consumption of fats and protein-laden food, obesity and so on. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the life expectancy of average Australians has seen an improvement in 2014(AIHW.gov.au, 2018). However, concerns over the increase in chronic diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease and diabetes continue to linger. In case of Aboriginal population, the health outcomes have shown improvement in recent years although lot needs to be done when it comes to reducing chronic health diseases. It has been found that apart from risk factors emerging from behavioral issues, diseases occur due to social and environmental factors as well. The present paper discusses the various social and environmental factors that contribute to diseases in Aboriginal Australians. Pattern of heart disease in Aboriginal Australians In comparison to non-Aboriginals, the Aboriginal people have been found to be more prone towards chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease. The AIHW report of 2016 revealed that the highest percentage of deaths that occurred in Aboriginal Australians within the period of 2009 to 2013, resulted from cardiovascular disease. One of the most prominent causes of heart disease amongst Aboriginal Australians is the rheumatic fever that results in damage to heart muscle or valves. Apart from that, their status in the Australian society and the way they are treated, contributes largely to heart diseases (Hri.org.au, 2018). Aboriginal people have a greater tendency to smoke that is one of the leading causes of heart disease. In addition, the intake of illicit drug is higher in case of Aboriginal people as compared to other Australians. Heart diseases also occur among Aboriginal people as a result of hereditary prevalence of heart diseases in the family (Healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au, 2018). Social determinants of health explaining morbidity and mortality Factors that influence the health of people refer to the determinants of health. Mainly, there are three main determinants of health including biomedical risk, behavioral risk and social determinants. Although given least prominence, social determinants like education, social acceptance, employment and income play a vital role in shaping the health of an individual. In regards to Aboriginal people, these determinants have more importance. One of the key social determinants that can help explain the occurrence of heart disease amongst Aboriginal people is the socioeconomic status they enjoy in the country. Indigenous Australians lack opportunities that are available to non-Indigenous people to remain healthy. It has been found that around 4% of Aboriginal adults suffered from coronary heart disease in 2016 compared to the 2.6% non-Indigenous adults. Similarly, the rate of heart diseases amongst Aboriginal children aged 5 to 14 years is higher compared to non-Indigenous children. Badland et al., (2014) explains that due to inaccessibility to basic social requirements like education, occupation and income, Aboriginal Australians lack the knowledge needed to be free from heart diseases. Social exclusion is another important determinant of health that explains the higher rate of heart disease amongst Aboriginal people (Health.gov.au, 2018). Being excluded from the society or treated differently from the population causes an individual to feel depressed and neglect his or health (Valtorta et al., 2016). This ultimately leads to increased risk of stroke. Systematic discrimination of Aboriginal people and subsequent inequality when it comes to having access to health facilities also lead to heart diseases and higher mortality rates amongst the community. Public Health intervention Betancourt et al., (2016) point out that providing social support to people suffering from heart diseases can contribute largely towards improving their health. In case of Aboriginal people in particular, social support could play a vital role in improving their overall health including heart disease. It is a common fact that warmth and care shown to an individual suffering from any disease, helps him or her recover faster than just feeding them medicines. The Aboriginal community in Australia has a long history of being neglected and isolated which led to them being more prone to diseases than others are. An intervention that addresses the core issues of health in Aboriginal Australians must be created in order to ensure they receive equal access to health facilities. Initiating plans like organizing a community program for Indigenous people where they could be given information on health care and such could be an effective intervention. One of the most prominent social determinants of poor health amongst Aboriginals is the lack of knowledge about many diseases in children. This occurs because of the absence of proper educational facilities for children and the discrimination faced by them at an early age. The intervention hence would be based primarily on helping Aboriginal children understand the basic requirements of staying healthy. Addressing the Social Gradient of Health Social gradient in health occurs when there is great disparity between the health conditions of people with higher and lower status in the society. In order to address this social gradient of health, the above-mentioned intervention could play a useful part. As Dean, Williams and Fenton (2013) observe, social determinants like exclusion from the society and limited opportunities to education could be reduced to minimal level by applying the basic traits of humanity. Organizing a community program with Aboriginal people as the main participants could be headed by people who belong to a higher economic and more recognized status. Similarly, the main participants who are Aboriginal children can be allowed to interact with children from the recognized white Australian community. In this way, the social gradient that demarcates between the accepted and the neglected can be addressed properly. Sectors that need to involve apart from health sector It is obvious that the health sector is the most concerned regarding the health of Australians and most plans and initiatives are either taken or implemented by this sector. However, it is not mandatory that only the health sector should be concerned with the issues of promoting health education amongst Aboriginal Australians. Institutions and organizations from other sectors also have equal responsibility to ensure that every Australian is given equal opportunity to lead a healthy life. According to Funk (2016), health is associated with every other sector in society and this determines the role of all sectors in promoting health equality. However, it has been noticed that apart from the health sector, very few sectors give prominence to health. The situation is however changing gradually as is evident from the inclusion of health and safety measures in workplaces, inclusion of health related topics in schools and so on. Hills, Dengel and Lubans (2015), point out that the education sector has a vital role to play other than the health sector to address issues of health amongst neglected communities. It is the children who constitute a nations future and to ensure a health future, children must be aware of all the health determinants. Thus, the education sector could help in reducing the social gradient of health. Conclusion In conclusion, it can be stated that Australia is moving on the right path to improve health condition of its people irrespective of the community they belong to. Although the Aboriginal people still lag behind when it comes to access to health, life expectancy and such other factors, they too are showing signs of improvement. The report has provided certain statistics and data that bring out the current picture of health equality especially the rate of heart diseases in Australia. Further, the report has focused on social exclusion and educational attainment as the social determinants of health. It has also provided public health intervention that can address these social determinants. However, further readings into other social determinants of health and heart diseases are suggested. References: AIHW.gov.au. (2018).Australias health.Aihw.gov.au. Retrieved 8 March 2018, from https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/9844cefb-7745-4dd8-9ee2-f4d1c3d6a727/19787-AH16.pdf.aspx?inline=true Badland, H., Whitzman, C., Lowe, M., Davern, M., Aye, L., Butterworth, I., ... Giles-Corti, B. (2014). Urban liveability: emerging lessons from Australia for exploring the potential for indicators to measure the social determinants of health.Social science medicine,111, 64-73. Betancourt, J. R., Green, A. R., Carrillo, J. E., Owusu Ananeh-Firempong, I. I. (2016). Defining cultural competence: a practical framework for addressing racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care.Public health reports. Dean, H. D., Williams, K. M., Fenton, K. A. (2013). From theory to action: applying social determinants of health to public health practice. Funk, M. (2016). Global burden of mental disorders and the need for a comprehensive, coordinated response from health and social sectors at the country level. Health.gov.au. (2018).Department of Health | Cardiovascular disease.Health.gov.au. Retrieved 8 March 2018, from https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/chronic-cardio#tre Healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au. (2018).Cardiovascular disease Selected health conditions Overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health status 2016 Health facts Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet.Healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au. Retrieved 8 March 2018, from https://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/health-facts/overviews/selected-health-conditions/cardiovascular-disease Hills, A. P., Dengel, D. R., Lubans, D. R. (2015). Supporting public health priorities: recommendations for physical education and physical activity promotion in schools.Progress in cardiovascular diseases,57(4), 368-374. Hri.org.au. (2018).HEART DISEASE IN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES.Hri.org.au. Retrieved 8 March 2018, from https://www.hri.org.au/CMSPages/GetAzureFile.aspx?path=~%5Cupload%5Chri%5Cmedia%5Cpdf%5Chri_indigenous_community_ebrochure.pdfhash=2406a3d3453b651ca9df25252c8450293c8d5d9635ba3890e97991d340c21eb8 Valtorta, N. K., Kanaan, M., Gilbody, S., Ronzi, S., Hanratty, B. (2016). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for coronary heart disease and stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal observational studies.Heart,102(13), 1009-1016.