Analyzing Housing Conditions as a Social Determinant of Health Essay

This essay provides an introduction to the sociology of health, focusing on housing conditions as a social determinant and its impact on health inequalities. It includes an analysis of three artifacts: a graph illustrating housing problems in England, and two photographs depicting poor living conditions. The graph reveals that London has a higher percentage of households experiencing housing problems compared to other regions. The photographs visually represent the substandard housing conditions that can lead to health issues like asthma and respiratory problems. The narrative emphasizes that unequal distributions of health outcomes are not solely due to income levels but are also significantly influenced by where people live. The essay concludes that housing conditions significantly impact health and contribute to health inequalities, referencing several studies that support this claim.

Introduction to the Sociology
of health

Table of contents
INTRODUCTION
Social determinant of health- Housing conditions and health inequalities
Artefact 1
Artefact 2
Artefact 3
Narrative
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES

Introduction
 Health can be defined as the state of being complete emotional and physical well-being.
 The healthcare is related to help and assist people to maintain their best and optimal
state of health.
 Social determinant of health are the factors which can influence the health outcomes.
 They can be the conditions in which people live, grow, age and are born in. they are
the forces which shape the daily life of an individual.

Social determinant of health
Housing conditions and health inequalities
 Artefact 1: Graph
 Artefact 2: Photograph
 Artefact 3: Photograph

Artefact 1- Graph
 The artefact i.e. graph explains the housing conditions in every region of England.
 From the graph it can be interpreted that 47% of the households of London experience
the high risks of housing problems.
 This percentage is much higher than the housing problem percentage in Midlands.
 Also nearly 11 percent of houses in London have experienced more than a single
housing problem.
 It is also analyse hat the housing problems are twice as the compared to East

Artefact 1

Artefact 2- Photograph
 The artefact 2 i.e. picture clearly depicts the housing conditions in which people live.
 The housing conditions in which a person is born, ages, grows and live have the
significant impact on their lives and personal health outcomes.
 As house is the place where every person lives and spends their everyday life.
 The control on housing conditions have particular importance to be associated with
health status of a person.

Artefact 2

Artefact 3- Photograph
 The third artefact i.e. picture shows the living conditions of some people.
 People who have poor housing conditions suffer from various problems such as
asthma, colds and coughs.
 The problems are more found in the people who live on the damp housing conditions.
 People covers the dampness with paper bags or plastic which actually does not do
anything.
 They paint the walls of their house with oil based paints or plastering which keeps the
walls steady for 3-4 months.

Artefact 1

My narrative
 I have chosen the social determinant of health-housing conditions.
 The reason to choose this determinant is that we often talk about the health
services, healthcare and health outcomes have unequal distributions due to the
levels of income.
 But the major factor is the place where people live.
 If the conditions where a person life are jot safe or hygienic they are more
likely to develop diseases than the other person.

Conclusion
 From the above analysis, it can be concluded that social determinants of health are
important aspects which influence the health outcomes of a person.
 Housing conditions is one of those factors which have a significant impact on the
health conditions.
 However the health inequalities are further promoted due to these conditions of living
or housing conditions.