Healthcare Essay: Factors Influencing Health Outcomes

This essay delves into the determinants of health, examining the multifaceted factors that shape health outcomes within a population, particularly focusing on Indigenous Australians. It highlights the crucial role of social and economic environments, physical and biological factors, individual behavio...Read More

Running Head: HEALTHCARE
0
Nursing Assignment
8/15/2019

HEALTHCARE
1
The essay brings the discussion on the determinants of health, i.e. factors that
influence the status of health in context to a particular population. The role of determinants is
crucial in affecting the health and overall wellbeing in a period. It has been found that every
stage of life, a range of economic, and social factors affect the health of people.
Some of the major determinants of health consist of social and economic
environment, physical, biological factors, individual’s own behaviour, and others. The role of
access to health services is vital affecting the condition of health of any individual. Moreover,
childhood experiences and individual’s own behaviour are other major determinants. From
the research, it has been found that physical environment tends to be a major factor behind
the health and wellbeing (Adler, Glymour & Fielding, 2016).
For an example, safe water, healthy and clean air, healthy workplaces, and better
living conditions contribute to the physical environment. It states about important aspect to
control on these conditions and ensure better health of individuals. Besides, behavioural risks
such as smoking, drinking, lack of physical activity, and others are some vital determining of
health. Amongst these, many factors are found major contributing to the poor health of
Indigenous Australians. Exposure to toxic substances and hazards, physical barriers
especially for the disabled people such as Australians play an effective role (Newman et al.,
2015).
Lack of access to the primary care and inefficient health infrastructure are important
social determinants affecting health of individuals. Barrier to the access to health services
include, lack of availability, high costs, lack of insurance coverage, and others. For an
instance, indigenous people in Australia live under lower standards of health infrastructure,
and other sanitation, and cleaning facilities. This leads to the determination of factors
affecting the wellbeing of people over a period (Fisher et al., 2019).
Apart from this, a significant role of social support, public safety, transportation,
quality of education that affects the health of Australians. In addition, a lack of efficient job-
opportunities leads to negative impact on health amongst the people. This determines the
impact of the economic status, or factors on the health and wellness of individuals (Fisher et
al., 2016).
The nature of social interactions is vital as it shapes an individual’s relationships.
These aspects of relationships affect their state of health and improvement in the future years.

HEALTHCARE
2
Therefore, it has been understood that there is a significant role of the social determinants of
health. Poor health outcomes of the indigenous Australians are considered as the result of
interaction between individuals and their social environment (Sensenbrenner & Portes, 2018).
To conclude the above discussion it has been analysed that physical and social
environment factors promote good health and wellbeing. The health of individuals living in
Australia i.e. mainly indigenous people are studied through the above discussion.
Determinants of health are major factors such as age, lifestyle, behaviour, work and others
influence the health outcomes. Therefore, it has been understood that social factors determine
the state of health in a longer period. Thus, it can be stated that one should improve quality of
life and health by working over these factors.

HEALTHCARE
3
References
Adler, N. E., Glymour, M. M. & Fielding, J. (2016). Addressing social determinants of health
and health inequalities. Jama, 316(16), 1641-1642.
Fisher, M., Battams, S., Mcdermott, D., Baum, F. & Macdougall, C. (2019). How the social
determinants of Indigenous health became policy reality for Australia's National
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan. Journal of Social Policy, 48(1),
169-189.
Fisher, M., Baum, F. E., MacDougall, C., Newman, L. & McDermott, D. (2016). To what
extent do Australian health policy documents address social determinants of health
and health equity? Journal of Social Policy, 45(3), 545-564.
Newman, L., Baum, F., Javanparast, S., O'Rourke, K. & Carlon, L. (2015). Addressing
social determinants of health inequities through settings: a rapid review. Health
Promotion International, 30(suppl_2),126-143.
Sensenbrenner, J. & Portes, A. (2018). Embeddedness and immigration: Notes on the social
determinants of economic action. In The sociology of economic life (pp. 93-115).
Routledge.