Determinants of health in Melbourne

They have indicated that high rise apartments are not fit to live in.The recent structure practices in Melbourne relates to poor environmental performance and minimized livelihood.(Baskaran,2016). Research shows that those who live in overcrowded areas are likely to suffer from infectious illness such as tuberculosis and poor mental health through noise pollution and lack of privacy. Poor housing has adverse effects on the individuals’ health and their mental state as shown inWorld Health Organization: Commission on Social B) Determinants of Health - final

Running Head: DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
1
Determinants of health
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH 2
Introduction
Habitation is a vital aspect in regards health and wellbeing of a person or the community.
It plays an essential role in promoting harmony and defining the city of Melbourne. Many
apartments’ towers in the city of Melbourne that are built are of low standards and not
environmental friendly as even architectural experts have given a warning. They have indicated
that high rise apartments are not fit to live in.The recent structure practices in Melbourne relates
to poor environmental performance and minimized livelihood.(Baskaran,2016).
Issue Identification
Individuals living in their own houses have high life expectancy than those who live in
rental homes. Research shows that those who live in overcrowded areas are likely to suffer from
infectious illness such as tuberculosis and poor mental health through noise pollution and lack of
privacy. People living in this place are likely to have low socio-economic status and low
employment rate. Overcrowding and poor housing in the inner apartments are related with poor
self-described physical and mental health in adults. It should be noted that overcrowding is
caused by lack of enough money to build decent houses for the people in the city of Melbourne.
Poor housing has adverse effects on the individuals’ health and their mental state as shown in
World Health Organization: Commission on Social B) Determinants of Health - final report p1-
23.
Overcrowding increases mortality rate especially in children because in such places,
proper sanitation and hygiene is not well practiced. They are likely to eat food that is not well
prepared because the parents lack resources to do so. They are not encouraged to wash their
hands after visiting the washroom and more so the washrooms are not clean either. Therefore
they are exposed to diseases such as typhoid and cholera (Bentley, Baker, & Mason, 2012).
As an environmental officer, I have noticed that people living in poor house condition and
overcrowded areas do no pay attention to their health. They don’t have necessary means of
upgrading their lives in the city of Melbourne. Many individuals in Australia will support me we
have a good life if we are able to take care of our environment; we are likely to live a quality life.
People living in these areas do not learn to reduce the risks involved in their health at an early
stage. They are encouraged to take their health seriously as it will affect future generations.

DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH 3
Noise pollution is also known as a health hazard which is cruel to both well and the sick.
It is caused by the people in crowded areas who strive to make a living such as loud music in
clubs which are near the apartments. It always occurs in places where there is excessive noise
that causes natural imbalance. It is also caused by metropolitan poor planning whereby the
houses are overcrowded and large families fighting for a small space in the area. This may cause
disruption of the environment in the society. Noise pollution may also be caused by actions of
construction such as mining, roads and buildings, the equipment used in this setting sometimes
give unnecessary noise. It may also be caused by industrialization process through their
machines that produce excess noise.
Hazard and exposure assessment
A good habitat must be free from the health hazards that affect people’s health. The
environment plays a major role in promoting a healthy lifestyle. Improper hygiene may lead to
different ailments such as cholera and other diseases. Poor sanitation is having an impact in the
city of Melbourne. The population is exposed to typhoid due to lack of safe water for drinking
and cooking. Therefore they end up eating contaminated meals which affects their health
(Carpenter, 2016). Overcrowding can also cause poor ventilation that increases internal moisture
in the house. This will cause the overcrowded apartments to be damp and therefore invite
cockroaches, mites and respiratory virus which in turn play an essential role respiratory disease
pathogenesis. Damp homes relates to asthma and other risks of chronic illness. People living in
the overcrowded areas find it hard to clean their houses thus exposed to dangerous chemicals
which can result in neurologic and allergic ailments.
Those who have low socio-economic status especially the children and the elderly are
affected by overcrowding since their movements are limited. The limited movements hinder their
enhancement of mental capacity and brain development. Those living in the high end apartments
may increase their chances of suffering from obesity and being overweight. Due to this, they are
exposed to traffic pollution that exposes them to asthma and it can also cause children accidents
(Frimpong, 2014)

DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH 4
Noise pollution has adverse effects on health particularly the children and the elderly in
Melbourne. It affects the individual’s body and exposes it to activation of the hormone release
and can increase our blood pressure when sleeping. It has led to high blood pressure,
cardiovascular disease and other related issues. It affects the individual’s wellbeing as it may
lead to anxiety and stress. It has also caused hearing impairments.
Any noise that is unnecessary can damage our body in many different ways. Continuous
exposure to very loud noise can cause damage in our hearing and can make them lose their
hearing and sensitivity that can adjust the rhythm of our body. Psychological health is affected
by excessive noise pollution especially in working places. Research has shown the incidence of
forceful habits fatigue and hypertension. This can lead to severity of chronic illness in future.
(Lauster, 2010 )
Sleeping disorder has also been caused by excessive noise. It can change the sleeping
habits which may cause uncomfortable circumstances and irritation. A good sleep is needed at
night to prevent fatigue and may cause work performance to slow down. On cardiovascular
problems, blood levels and heart issues have risen due to noise pollution. Research has shown
that that noise pollution causes disruption of normal blood flow. (Wolitski, 2010).It can also
cause difficulty in communication as it may lead to misinterpretation, persistent sharp noise can
give an individual a severe headache and cause emotional imbalance. It prevents people from
communicating openly.
Risk characterization
Melbourne was once a city that was loved by many people. The wellbeing of a person
depends on a healthy lifestyle free from the health hazards. An individual’s health is a vital
aspect in the development of the city. Environmental pollution has adverse effects towards the
progress of the city. The impacts caused by the health hazards can cause a large number of the
population to develop depression. This can lead to high unemployment rates in the city since
they are unable to work or create employment opportunities (Generalova & Generalov,2014)
The populations affected by the impacts have low productivity hence their mental state due to
noise pollution is undermined because most of them do not go for treatment. The severity of the
health impacts relies on the person’s treatment opportunities available in the city.

DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH 5
Research has indicated that severity of the health impacts has affected the development of
better housing in the city of Melbourne especially in the overcrowded areas. It is evident that
health issues limit the advancement of the economy of the city. This led to decreased
employment chances for the population since most of them are unable to go to their work
stations. The unemployed population has suffered a lot due to unnecessary noise which has
caused adverse effects to the population such as hearing problems which denies them a chance to
advance themselves and create a good environment for their families. This has also led to poor
labor market that is unable to take care of the population. (Giles-Corti, Ryan & Foster, 2012)
Poor sanitation has led to a number of adverse effects in Melbourne. There has been a
high level of poor sanitation in the overcrowded places. Unhealthy community has a lot of
disadvantages. The government will have to spend a lot of money on health care and loss of
work which is caused increased infections such as diarrhea and other associated ailments. It will
also have to provide treatment to the population present in the rural areas. In terms of housing,
the health hazards have had negative impacts such as poor house conditioning and poor water
storage. This has affected the city of Melbourne in terms of crime and social interaction in the
community. The population has not been informed about the possible effects of poor sanitation
and noise pollution and the risks involved (Polack & Warwick, 2016 ) . The presence of
skyscrapers in Melbourne poses a high risk of fire. Many apartments in Melbourne have been
structured in very small sites which lead to overcrowding. Therefore, health hazards have deeply
affected the environment of the city. It is claimed that proliferation of the apartments undermines
the government’s creative vision as the population increases many structures are built in smaller
sites.
The following illustration shows the likelihood of the risks involved as shown in Western
Australian Department of Health (2006)

DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH 6

DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH 7
Recommendation
The government should ensure that the apartments’ designs are standardized and
affordable for the population. The design should also be on a reasonable quality level that people
from low socioeconomic status can also afford. Apartments that are well designed assist to
ensure that there is efficient energy and the cost of maintenance of the occupant. The government
should produce health experts that will oversee the construction process and ensure that the
necessary rules for proper housing are followed. The government should provide bigger sites for
the apartments to be built on. This will avoid overcrowding and prevention of many infectious
diseases. (Glaeser, 2011).The apartments on the bigger sites are more comfortable and will help
the government to spend less on treating the infectious diseases. Better living is essential for the
population in the city of Melbourne.
The government should also work with the health sector to provide necessary skills and
knowledge concerning the wellbeing of the people. The education will help them practice good
hygiene habits that will prevent them from the exposure of infectious illness such as tuberculosis.
The population should be taught the importance of washing hands after visiting the toilet. It
should also provide washing detergents for the population to clean their apartments regularly.
The toilets should be built properly following all the guidelines and a significant sewage system
in the inner apartments in the city. Through this, the government will be able to cater for the
wellbeing of the population with minimal challenges. (Ikeda & Washington, 2015).
Adequate natural lighting is also recommended by the health experts because it is vital
for the population’s health. Natural light allows the usage of artificial light hence reduced
consumption of energy. This light will prevent dampness hence reduced asthma risks. The
landlords should also ensure that the apartments have proper ventilation and the apartments
should also have spacious rooms for the large families. The apartments should be guarded
against noise pollution by the landlords and ensure that regulations concerning excessive noise
followed strictly so as to avoid noise pollution (Krieger & Higgins, 2002). The population should
be informed about the dangers of noise pollution. This will help them regulate their
communication and create an understanding among the people communicating. Thus noise
regulation program should be put in place to manage noise pollution.

DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH 8
The government should also educate more health experts to assist in creating awareness
about the well-being of the population. The experts will educate people concerning different
diseases caused by overcrowding and improper built apartments in Melbourne. They will inform
people about healthy lifestyle and practice good eating habits that will prevent them from being
obese. The professionals will help in ensuring the quality of life and protect the population from
the health hazards. Education will help in knowing and reporting issues that could have adverse
impacts on the health of the population. The professionals require more knowledge about the
populations’ safety and prevention measures of various chronic diseases. (Lee & Porter, 2013)
Management and landlord guidelines are also recommended. They should follow the
guidelines to ensure that the apartments are safe for occupation. The landlords should be able to
make sure that the installations in the houses are working to avoid future accidents. Treatment of
health risk issues like rising damps should be available because dampness can cause chronic
illness such as asthma. Therefore, the population must be vigilant and careful in their apartments
to avoid such health hazards. The landlords have a duty to build their apartments in safer places
that promote healthy lives for the population in Melbourne.
Activities of construction are important in developing and building the city. The vibration
and the noise should be reduced because of its health population. This will create a conducive
environment for the population to settle in. The government should ensure that the guidelines are
followed strictly so that the lives of the population are safeguarded (Saunders, Watanabe,&
Wong, 2015). They have an obligation to protect their tenants from any kind of danger that may
come their way. The landlords have a duty to repair their houses to always make sure that water
is accessed easily as suggested by the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and
Planning (2016).
The government should also create community centers near the apartments for fast
treatment services in case of an emergency. This will help in reducing the mortality rate in the
area. Accessibility of clean water is essential for the population. The government should also
find a way to control traffic which is the main cause of noise pollution. They should be educated
about the traffic rules and regulations to avoid unnecessary accidents. (Marmot et al.,2011).
Melbourne city residents should ensure that their children are protected by avoiding playing on
the road. The elderly should be taken care of at all times since they are at a high risk of being

DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH 9
affected by noise. The apartments must also contain sound proof materials so that incase of
excess noise the residents are protected.
The construction workers should work together with the government to ensure that the
structures have all the necessities that are required. Research has indicated that skyscrapers are
safer in case of any stampede occurrence. Therefore when construction is taking place, there
should be minimal noise and all regulations are adhered to the later. The equipment that
produces noise should be removed as quickly as possible and alternative equipment should be
used in the construction. The government officials should visit the construction area and discuss
the problems that may occur in the process of construction. The construction management should
ensure that the site obeys all the Work Safety and Government requirements. (Vedelago &
Houston, 2015)
The government will organize a public forum where all stakeholders will be present to
communicate to the public about prevention, diagnosis and management of chronic illness that
may have been caused by the health hazards. It will assist the population in Melbourne to work
together to advance the city and to promote healthy lifestyle for all people.
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DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH 10
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