Introduction
This assignment is a reflective summary that will discuss the two vital social determinants that are related to health and their contribution to the health and illness of a particular local government area. The two determinants that have been chosen for this assignment are education and income and the chosen local government area in Victoria.
Discussion
The circumstances in which we are “born, grow, live, work, and age” are known as social determinants of health. The following are some of the elements that significantly impact health outcomes: availability of healthcare, having access to wholesome food, having access to working utilities and clean water (Reid, 2019).
The most important social determinant which is related to health is education, as per the opinion of some experts. Education has a huge influence on a person’s overall health and well-being, much as other socioeconomic determinants of health. By encouraging healthy behaviors, education has a long-lasting effect on us and has been linked to better health outcomes, such as decreased obesity rates. The foundation for a long, healthy life is laid by early education, thus it is essential (Coffey et al., 2018). Beyond early childhood education, research shows that a person’s lifespan increases with their level of education. Education has a lasting impact on us and has been linked to better health outcomes, such as lower obesity rates, through encouraging healthier behaviors (Haigh et al., 2019).
A person’s financial situation can influence a variety of elements of their life, such as their health, location of residence, and educational options. The life expectancy of Australians varies significantly depending on income, and children who belong to low-income families are more likely to have chronic illness and poor health throughout their lives (Mialon, 2021). How long and how well a person will live is influenced by a variety of factors, including their education level and the cleanliness of their surroundings. However, research indicates that there is one social factor that may be the most significant is income. The inescapable connections between ill health and poverty have long been observed by public health professionals (Venn et al., 2018). Low earnings are a substantial risk factor for illness incidence and severity as well as life expectancy, according to science time and time again.
Southeast Australia’s state of Victoria. It is identified as the second-smallest state within Australia with an overall land size of 227,444 km2 (87,817 sq mi), the second-most populous state (after New South Wales), and the state with the densest population (28 per m2). The education system of Victoria has evolved immensely in the recent few years. Moreover, the individual income in Victoria has been supportive of the social determinants of health.
Conclusion
It is evident from the entire discussion that early education is crucial as it creates the foundation for a long, healthy life. Much like other socioeconomic determinants of health, education has a substantial impact on a person’s overall health and wellness. Numerous studies have demonstrated that persons with lower earnings are more likely to be in poorer health and have lower insurance coverage rates.
References
Coffey, P. M., Ralph, A. P., & Krause, V. L. (2018). The role of social determinants of health in the risk and prevention of group A streptococcal infection, acute rheumatic fever, and rheumatic heart disease: a systematic review. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 12(6), e0006577. https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0006577
Garvis, S., Harju-Luukkainen, H., & Flynn, T. (2018). A descriptive study of early childhood education steering documents in Finland, Sweden, and Australia around language immersion programs. Asia-Pacific Journal of Research in Early Childhood Education. https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/299690
Haigh, F., Kemp, L., Bazeley, P., & Haigh, N. (2019). Developing a critical realist-informed framework to explain how the human rights and social determinants of health relationship work. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 1-12. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-019-7760-7;
Mialon, M. (2020). An overview of the commercial determinants of health. Globalization and Health, 16(1), 1-7. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12992-020-00607-x
Reid, S. (2019). The rural determinants of health: using critical realism as a theoretical framework. Rural and remote health, 19(3). https://search.proquest.com/openview/ed1b0f8983733e7c63a3c28f86a63ccf/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=5492965
Venn, D., Dixon, J., Banwell, C., & Strazdins, L. (2018). Social determinants of household food expenditure in Australia: the role of education, income, geography and time. Public Health Nutrition, 21(5), 902-911. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition/article/social-determinants-of-household-food-expenditure-in-australia-the-role-of-education-income-geography-and-time/6E5AB2D43CEB42111CFA15B0239B2C13
