HEALTH SCIENCE 2250
FINAL EXAM
NOTES.Health Science 2250 Week 2
Reading: Social Determinants of Health and Health inequalities
Social and Economic
... [Show More] Influences on Health
- Many factors influence health
- Individual genetics, lifestyle choices, where we are born, grow, live, work and age also have an
important influence on our health
- Determinants of Health : broad range of personal, social, economic and environmental
factors that determine individual and population health
- Main determinants of health:
1. Income and social status
2. Employment and working conditions
3. Education and literacy
4. Childhood experiences
5. Physical environments
6. Social supports and coping skills
7. Healthy behaviours
8. Access to health services
9. Biology and genetic endowment
10. Gender
11. Culture
12. Race / Racism
Social Determinants of Health: specific group of social and economic factors within the broader
determinants of health
- These relate to an individual’s place in society, such as income, education or employment
- Experiences of discrimination, racism and historical trauma are important social determinants
of health for certain groups such as Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ and Black Canadians.
Health Inequalities in Canada
- Differences in the health status of individuals and groups are called health inequalities.
These differences can be due to your genes and the choices you make. For example, whether
you exercise or drink alcohol. However, the social determinants of health can also have an
important influence on health. For example, Canadians with higher incomes are often healthier
than those with lower incomes.
- Health inequity refers to health inequalities that are unfair or unjust and modifiable. For
example, Canadians who live in remote or northern regions do not have the same access to
nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables as other Canadians.
- Health equity is the absence of unfair systems and policies that cause health inequalities.
Health equity seeks to reduce inequalities and to increase access to opportunities and
conditions conducive to health for all.
Supporting the reduction of health inequalities
- Reducing health inequalities means helping to give everyone the same opportunities to be
healthy, no matter who they are or where they live. We are working in a number of ways to
reduce health inequalities and address the social determinants of health.
1. Strengthening the evidence base to inform decision-making
o The Health Inequalities Data Tool contains a large set of data on health inequalities in
Canada by subgroups of the Canadian population, including by social, economic and
demographic factors. For example, the size and impacts of health inequalities are
available by Indigenous Peoples, Black Canadians, immigrants or Canadians living in
rural/remote or urban settings. It was created by the Public Health Agency of Canada
and the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network, in collaboration with Statistics Canada,
and the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
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o The Key Health Inequalities in Canada: A National Portrait report discusses important
health inequalities in Canada. It was developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada
and the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network in collaboration with Statistics Canada,
the Canadian Institute for Health Information, and the First Nations Information
Governance Centre.
o Social determinants and inequities in health for Black Canadians: A Snapshot reports
national data on inequalities in health outcomes and determinants of health for Black
Canadians, and highlights how Anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination are key
drivers of health and social inequities faced by diverse Black Canadian communities.
o Data on Indigenous children, and health and development in the early years supports
the design of effective early childhood development programs and interventions.
These resources were developed by the Canadian Institute of Child Health in
partnership with the Canadian Council on Social Determinants of Health and the Public
Health Agency of Canada.
2. Engaging Beyond the Health Sector
o The Public Health Agency of Canada established the Canadian Council on Social
Determinants of Health to work with leaders from different sectors on the social
determinants of health and improve health equity. The Council has produced a number
of resources and tools, for example:
Roots of Resilience: Overcoming Inequities in Aboriginal Communities
A Review of Frameworks on the Determinants of Health
Pan-Canadian resource on evidence and initiatives to improve the
determinants of health for children and their families
3. Sharing Knowledge of Action Across Canada
o Under the Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health in 2012, Canada
and other member states pledged to take steps to improve health equity. We have
documented examples of actions across Canada in these areas as part of the following
reports:
Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health: A Snapshot of
Canadian Actions 2015
Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health : A Selection of
Canadian Actions 2013
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Module 1 (PHO)
Ottawa Charter for health promotions
- Ottawa Charter defines health promotion as
o “The process of enabling people to increase control and to improve their health”
- To better understand this definition here are the values it is based on
o Empowerment
Defined as “Process through which people gain greater control over the
decisions and actions affecting their health”
3 Conditions that contribute to empowerment
Social Networks
Community Participation
Community Competence
Positive Health Impacts of Empowerment
Increased levels of social support
Enhanced coping capacities
Increased life satisfaction
Decreased susceptibility to illness
o Social Justice and Equity
Defined as “equitable access to food, income, employment, shelter, education
and other factors are needed to maintain good health”
Research says poverty and income inequality are the greatest determinants of
health status
Income determines living conditions (safe housing, affordability of nutritious
food, control over stressful life circumstances)
Lower income Canadians are likely to die younger than Canadians with higher
income regardless of age, sex, race or place of residences
o Inclusion
People can be excluded due to
Poverty
Ill Health
Gender
Race
Disability or lack of education
People who are excluded do not reap the health, social and economic benefits
of full participation in society
To insure everyone has a voice in the decisions that affect their health, health
promotion works with marginalized groups who face systemic barriers to good
health
o Respect
Respecting a diverse range of viewpoints, cultures and perspectives is an
important prerequisite for building sustainable relationships, the basis for
action to achieve shared goals
Features of Health Promotion
- Holistic view of health [Show Less]