Global Health Essay: Analysis of Susan and Lisa's Health Challenges

This essay analyzes the health challenges faced by Susan, a single mother, and her daughter Lisa, highlighting the detrimental impacts of socioeconomic factors and environmental hazards. Susan's limited education, low income, and lack of social support create significant barriers to a healthy lifestyle, leading to poor living conditions, inadequate nutrition, and increased health risks for both mother and daughter. The essay explores the environmental risk factors, such as pollution from a busy highway and nearby factories, contributing to Lisa's asthma and Susan's headaches. It also addresses the importance of risk communication in healthcare, discussing the challenges and potential solutions in conveying health information effectively. The essay underscores the necessity of risk assessment, intervention strategies, and social support systems to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable populations.

Running head: GLOBAL HEALTH
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Name of the student
Name of the university
Author’s name

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Question 1:
Susan being a single mother faced many difficulties in terms of economic and financial
crisis due to a number of factors. As a result, Susan could not give herself and her daughter a
satisfactory lifestyle. Susan was separated from her husband due to his abusive nature that
eventually impacted her life and her daughter’s life. Susan also did not compete her school
thereby limiting her employment options. As a result of a low economic status and inability to
meet the economic demand of her family, she started to work for two cleaning companies, with
which she could only manage to pay for her rent, food and school fees for her daughter, Lisa.
Susan could not afford a proper place to live and managed to stay in an apartment near to a busy
highway located in an industrial town with several factories. She often get headaches because of
this, and her daughter, Lisa developed asthma because of the pollution level in that area. The
physical environment is an important determinant to health and thus, living in an unhealthy
environment increases the risk of developing chronic diseases in individuals (National Research
Council, & Committee on Population, 2013). Thus, in order to prevent the occurrence of these
diseases it is necessary to undergo risk assessment in that area to address the issues and factors
and develop intervention strategies for the same (Jamison et al., 2006). Susan felt tired after the
end of her shift and often failed to cook food her daughter and afforded inexpensive takeaway
from restaurants for dinner. Consuming unhealthy foods also increases the risk of developing
severe diseases that can become chronic and even have lifelong implications. Eating unhealthy
foods can trigger several diseases and health conditions decreasing the quality of life. Thus, it is
important to consume healthy and fresh foods to ensure better metabolism and prevent the risk of
developing any diseases that can create severe complications and compromise with health

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(Sahoo et al., 2015). Susan was not helped or supported by her family members since they did
not like the fact that she is divorced. Her family could not accept this and thus, she has no family
and social support. Although, she tried to make friends in her neighbourhood but they all swore
at her and often banged the door at her face. A lack of social support can increase the risk of
developing symptoms of major mental health conditions like depression and anxiety decreasing
the quality of life and acting as a barrier to leading a healthy and meaningful life.
Thus, it is important to address the above factors in order to develop appropriate
intervention strategies to improve their health and prevent the occurrence of diseases. The
environmental risk factor like a busy highway and the presence of several factories must be
assessed for developing disease prevention strategies. They can either shift to a new apartment
within their budget which will be free from these factors, or they can bring this fact into the
notice of the government agencies so that they take appropriate steps by conducting risk
assessment and implementing appropriate intervention strategies addressing the risk factors.
Question 2:
Risk communication involves an open discussion between the professionals or experts
and the individuals who are facing problem related to their health and wellbeing and economic or
social wellbeing, thereby, enabling them to take informed decisions for protecting themselves.
In the context of healthcare, risk is an integral part of the programs for public health screening,
medical treatment and surgery options, and risk factors related to lifestyle and prognostic health
marks (McGinnis et al., 2013).
The challenges existing in the risk communication include:

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 Difference in perception of the expert and the people facing threats.
 Inability to understand the information and health statistics as provided by the expert or
the doctor.
 Spreading of rumours and online misinformation.
 Unable to communicate the right information and data.
 Organisational and emotional constraints (panic, mistrust and hostility etc.) can hinder
the effective communication to risk.
 A continuous involvement and cooperation is required from the stakeholders.
 Personal bias can prevent communication at risk from being completely precise and
accurate. Personal bias can vary from person to person and depends on situations.
 Lack of standardized and effective process in a workplace can hinder risk
communication. Without an effective process, risk communication can become time
consuming. With respect to time consumption, too much risk communication procedures
can become frustrating and hectic.

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References:
Jamison, D. T., Breman, J. G., Measham, A. R., Alleyne, G., Claeson, M., Evans, D. B., ... &
Musgrove, P. (Eds.). (2006). Disease control priorities in developing countries. The
World Bank.
McGinnis, J. M., Stuckhardt, L., Saunders, R., & Smith, M. (Eds.). (2013). Best care at lower
cost: the path to continuously learning health care in America. National Academies
Press.
National Research Council, & Committee on Population. (2013). US health in international
perspective: Shorter lives, poorer health. National Academies Press.
Sahoo, K., Sahoo, B., Choudhury, A. K., Sofi, N. Y., Kumar, R., & Bhadoria, A. S. (2015).
Childhood obesity: causes and consequences. Journal of family medicine and primary
care, 4(2), 187.