Understanding of Health and Illness: Essay

Determinants Of
Health & Illness

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Outline general concept of health and illness.............................................................................1
Discuss the concept of health promotion....................................................................................2
Discuss the risk factors in health and illness...............................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Health refers to a condition of an individual of emotional, physical, psychological and
social well-being. Illness can be described as the condition in which any kind of injury, disease
or more than co-morbidities are present (Creamer and Austin, 2017). However, determinants of
health are factors that helps to maintain better health situation whereas element causing disease
are consider as determinants of illness. The present essay will focus on basic understanding of
health and illness including several models. It will also includes the concept of health promotion
for promoting health and hygiene precautions among people. The various risk factors related to
health and illness are given below.
MAIN BODY
Outline general concept of health and illness
Health can be described as states of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity. It includes the condition in which a person do not not
any kind of physical and psychological health issues along better social status. Meanwhile, it is
necessary to make an appropriate factors contributing in good health consist genetics,
relationships, atmosphere, habits and education. Illness refers to a situation in which human body
or mind is harmed because specific organ system or its part is not capable to perform its function
properly. It involves the various kinds of health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, lung
disease, heart problems, dementia, schizophrenia and many more. Medical model defined as
model of including ideas and methods which helps people to observe, analyse and handle the
health related to issues and disease in context of medical context. It is helpful to examine the
present symptoms to understand the present of any kind of disease, pain or defect in human body
(Overfield, 2017). Biomedical model is helpful to medical practitioners for identifying the states
of particular health problems along with its causes. It includes the criterion to focus on
pathology, biochemistry and physiology of specific disease.
Model environment focus on the aspects of establishing an effective and peaceful
atmosphere for patients while providing care, it is necessary to maintain favourable environment
in surroundings of patient in hospital or at home. However, care practitioners can be used this
model in terms of providing safe and improved quality of medical facilities people for their well-
being. Ecological model refers to process of focussing on preventing of particular injury or
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disease by considering population as well as individual level. It will facilitate to understand the
determinants of health and relevant interventions to solve them. Meanwhile ecological models
involves number of levels which are responsible for influencing health behaviours of people such
as intra-personal or individual factors, interpersonal personal elements, organisational &
institutional components, community factors and public policy determinants.
Social model of disability refers to an approach to identify barriers in society that creates
problem for disabled people. It includes lack of ramps outside colleges, offices, organisation and
other institutions due to which they faced problem in daily life. However, it consist the lack of
special facilities for disabled people, restricted choices for them and barriers in their daily life
routine. This social model helps to determine these factors in order to prepare effective strategies
for eliminating difficulties for facilitating comfortable lives for disabled citizens in society
(Bieliauskas, 2019). Conflict theory can be described as a model which indicates that conflicts in
society occurs due to uneven distribution of resources, power and status exists. It also impact on
health condition of people in either positive or negative manner. However, the unequal
distribution of these resources create issues for people in affording basic needs like food, water,
shelter, medicine and safety. Moreover, citizens having limited resources and low social status
face many of difficulties to gain education, employment, income and care facilities that affect
their health condition poorly.
Health belief model can be described as an approach which states to understand the
beliefs of people related to health problems which helps to predict their health behaviours. It
includes learn about thinking of citizens about various health issues according to effective
strategies can applied to to improve their health behaviours in regards to enhance their health
condition. Meanwhile, it includes the consideration of number of elements including perceived
susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cue to action and self
efficacy (Schomerus and et. al., 2016). Life expectancy of people includes their desires which can
be used to motivate them or adopting healthy habits in terms of remaining disease free.
Discuss the concept of health promotion
Health promotion refers to programmes including effective practices and strategies in
terms of promoting healthy habits among people for enhancing their health status. It includes to
select specific problem like smoking or diabetes and provider information to people about
relevant causes, prevention techniques and precautions to encourage citizens towards healthy
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routine. Meanwhile, care practitioners and government authorities conduct health promotion
campaigns in regards to reduce chance of occurring particular health issues among society.
Moreover, care practitioners can use poster, banners, brochures, leaflets and social media for
increasing awareness among individuals about safety methods and way of avoiding diseases.
Hygiene is known as practices and activities that are carry out by people to make
themselves and surroundings clean as well as healthy. It includes washing hands before and after
taking meal, clean hands with soap after going to the toilet, take bath at least once in a day, clean
nails, teeth & body etc. Maintaining hygiene is helpful to eliminate risk of infections and disease
which promote health status of entire population (Eldredge and et. al., 2016). The health
promotion campaign that has been used to promote good hygiene in UK was Hand hygiene
campaign 'cut superbug infections' in order to improve hand hygiene in hospitals of Wales and
England. Lack of hygiene results into occurrence of various kinds of infections in body and risk
of other diseases. It may responsible for creating situation of epidemic disease or pestilence and
develop bacterial, viral, parasitics issues. It includes food poisoning, gastroenteritis, diarrhoea,
pneumonia, trachoma, skin infections, colds or flu, hepatitis A, scabies infection, giardiasis etc.
Immune system refers to a host of defence system which has a capability to resist against
infections, diseases and other health problems. It is important for survival of an individual by
protecting from disease by creating immunity. This system has several parts like white blood
cells, antibodies, complement system, lymphatic system, spleen, thymus and the bone marrow.
Immunity can be explained as a capacity of human being to resist harmful microorganisms from
entering it including specific or non specific components. It is of different types like innate,
adaptive and passive that perform an an eliminator against wide range of pathogens. Benefits of
immunity on health for the population includes that strong resisting power towards entry of
pathogens helps to prevent infections & diseases among people (Baum, 2016). It will facilitate to
reduce occurrence of health problem which facilitate to improve entire health of citizens of
country. Effects of poor working of immune system is responsible for creating immunodeficiency
disorder and several parts can damaged such as skin, bone marrow, white blood cells, spleen,
tonsils, lymph nodes and endocrine system.
Healthy eating should be promoted by health promotion campaigns to encourage people
for avoiding junk food in order to maintain their better health condition. It includes promotion
intake of proper nutrition through daily meal like eat nuts, avoid sugar drinks, intake fatty fish,
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drink sufficient water in a day and avoid junk food. Exercise is required to be promoted because
physical work out is essential for maintain BMI because extra weight create risk of disease like,
obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure etc. Disease prevention includes strategies should be
encouraged via campaigns including wash hangs often, get vaccinated, use antibiotics sensibly,
stay at home with infectious symptoms, carefully cook food, disinfects hot zones in residential
area and so on (Park, Reber and Chon, 2016). PHE campaigns refers to promotional activities
carried out by Public Health England for raising public consciousness regarding important health
problems to make themselves disease free. Improving lifestyle can be conducted by providing
information to citizens about healthy habits like regular physical work out, intake healthy meals,
maintain hygiene, avoid smoke & alcohol etc. for enhancing wellness of citizens.
Health choices refers to make people aware about several alternative methods of treating
their respective disease from which they can select one for their wellness. Reducing health
inequality and healthy inequity is essential to delver care facilities equally to every patient
seeking for treatment. It consist the criterion to apply Equality Act in every care organisation so
that every person belongs from different sections of society will get proper attention as well as
care & treatment (Fletcher and et. al., 2018). Infection control requires effective activities and
standards to be followed by care practitioners and patients. It consist proper and hygiene,
personal protective equipment (PPE), needle stick & sharps injury prevention, cleaning &
disinfection, respiratory hygiene (cough etiquette), waste disposal and safe injection practices.
Discuss the risk factors in health and illness
Substance misuse like intake of alcohol, morphine, nicotine etc. are responsible for
creating addiction and risk of liver problems, eating disorders, heart disease, Alzheimer's
diseases as well as depression. If proper surveillance is avoided by medical staff then it will
create risk of complications for patient. However, cultural lifestyle includes some unhealthy
habits like given bath on new born immediately which create risk of extreme complexities of
pneumonia for baby (Milligan, Matsui and Sharma, 2016). Air pollution create poisonous
substances in air which are inhaled by people that increase chance of occurring lung diseases like
asthma, emphysema and COPD. Improper way of waste collection and recycling without using
masks & gloves hen it will create extreme risks among staff and patients present in hospitals.
Food waste should be disposed in appropriate way because it will also develop harmful bacteria
or pathogens that create various infections among people. Water pollution is created by throwing
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waste in it and hazardous chemical waste release in rivers or ponds which is harmful for aquatic
animals that are used to eat by citizens. It will generate risk of occurring water-borne disease like
cholera, typhoid, paratyphoid, jaundice, de-sentry, malaria and amoebiasis.
The toxic substance and hazardous waste is responsible creation harmful bacteria and
viruses in surroundings that create several infectious health issues among people. Use of
medication is helpful but drug errors can develop extreme complicated condition of patient.
However, restrictions of Access to healthcare services are observed for individuals belongs to
specific community results into delayed facilities that increase risk of complications or may leads
to death. Availability of resources is unequal in which reduce mental peace and physical fitness
because they are not able to fulfil their daily requirements due to limited sources. Availability of
primary care homes are sometimes not sufficient because of limited staff and services which
impact negative on health condition of people. Improper shelter and food services can develop
situation of not completing desired needs which may generate health issues accordingly. Access
to education is not possible for every person as they did not get proper guidance about
precautions for avoiding diseases or infections so that they are more likely to gain problems as
compared others (Marcatto and et. al., 2016). Lack of sufficient Job opportunities impact
negatively on financial condition due to which individual cannot take proper meal and medicine
that boost up risk of infections among them. Quality of education and training is limited in
several care homes which patient outcomes get reduced. It is necessary for care professionals to
update knowledge level and clinical skills in order to provide proper treatment for welfare of an
individual. Lack of training affects the quality of medical services which has side effects on
condition of an individual. Moreover, absence of social support for psychological patients create
complications in their mental state.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has been concluded that health considered can be described as a
state of a person in which they are physically, emotionally and socially well-being. It includes
various concepts like health, illness and relevant factors that cause disease like intake alcohol,
eating junk food, lack of physical exercise etc. However, it involves various approaches like
health belief model, conflict theory & social model and health promotion to improve health
promotion, hygiene, immune system strength, healthy eating as well as infection control.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Baum, F., 2016. The new public health (No. Ed. 4). Oxford University Press.
Bieliauskas, L.A., 2019. Stress and its relationship to health and illness. Routledge.
Creamer, A.M. and Austin, W., 2017. Canadian Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies
Identified: An Opportunity to Build Mental Health and Illness Skills and
Knowledge. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 13(5), pp.e231-e236.
Eldredge, L.K.B. and et. al., 2016. Planning health promotion programs: an intervention
mapping approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Fletcher, G.F. and et. al., 2018. Promoting physical activity and exercise: JACC health
promotion series. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 72(14), pp.1622-
1639.
Marcatto, F. and et. al., 2016. Work-related stress risk factors and health outcomes in public
sector employees. Safety science, 89, pp.274-278.
Milligan, K.L., Matsui, E. and Sharma, H., 2016. Asthma in urban children: epidemiology,
environmental risk factors, and the public health domain. Current allergy and asthma
reports, 16(4), p.33.
Overfield, T., 2017. Biological variation in health and illness: race, age, and sex differences.
CRC Press.
Park, H., Reber, B.H. and Chon, M.G., 2016. Tweeting as health communication: health
organizations’ use of Twitter for health promotion and public engagement. Journal of
health communication, 21(2), pp.188-198.
Schomerus, G. and et. al., 2016. An online intervention using information on the mental health-
mental illness continuum to reduce stigma. European Psychiatry, 32, pp.21-27.
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