Critical Reflection on Global Public Health

Critical Reflection on global public health
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Obesity is a condition in which there is accumulation of excess fats within the body. According
to the World Health Organization, this condition is not only a concern to cosmetics but to health
as well since it is a risk factor to diverse medical conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and
diabetes mellitus(Williams, Mesidor, Winters, Dubbert, & Wyatt, 2015, p. 365) . It is widely
believed that obesity is as a result of lifestyle. Several studies have linked obesity to a sedentary
lifestyle where individuals eat junk or energy dense unhealthy food and do not take part in
physical activities (Bhadoria et al., 2015). Having learnt about social determinants of health, I
can confidently agree to the fact that obesity is as a result of an individual’s eating habits.
In this module, I have learnt that the social determinants of health are conditions where an
individual is born, works, learns or lives. Examples of social determinants of health include
Income and social status, employment, education, childhood experiences, healthy behaviors and
access to healthcare (Adler, Glymour, & Fielding, 2016). Healthy behaviors includes healthy
eating habits to avoid obesity and that is why I agree with the above saying that individuals are
victims of their own eating habits.
Social status is the prestige or honor attached to ones position in the society. If for example an
individual in a society is respected such as a doctor, he/she should take that advantage and
educate communities about healthy behaviors since they will listen to him/her keenly. Such
activities are likely to shape the health status of individuals.
Previously, I was aware that the health status of an individual is as a result of their surroundings
and that Individuals should have self-control or exercise responsibility about their health.
Therefore, my views have not changed at all after this module.