PUBH630: Reflecting on Health Determinants and Public Health Practice

This report presents a student's reflection on the PUBH630 unit, focusing on determinants of health. The reflection explores how the unit content relates to the student's existing knowledge and skills, as well as how it will inform their future career and practice in public health. The paper discusses various factors influencing health, including social, psychological, and environmental determinants, emphasizing the multifaceted nature of health beyond physical conditions. The student highlights the importance of cultural competence, equitable healthcare distribution, and sustainable practices in their future role. Furthermore, the report connects the unit's learning outcomes to the Public Health Graduate Competencies established by CAPHIA, emphasizing disease prevention, health promotion, evidence-based practice, and policy engagement. The student also acknowledges the significance of health promotion frameworks such as 'Closing the Gap,' the WHO's Sustainable Development Goals, and the Ottawa Charter. The reflection concludes by summarizing the enriching experience of the unit and its influence on the student's understanding of public health practice.

Running head: DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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Introduction
It is worthwhile to remember that an individual’s existing health status is a resultant of a
number of behavioral and social factors, known collectively as health determinants (Adler,
Glymour & Fielding, 2016). The following paper will focus upon a personal reflection regarding
learning and the outcomes associated with the overall unit of PUBH630. This reflection will shed
light on how this unit was related to past as well as my existing skill set and its influences for my
future practice with consideration to competency standards of Public Health.
Discussion
Past Practice and Existing Knowledge
This unit, as evident from the lecture contests, focuses extensively on the factors
influencing health in all aspects of physiological, social, psychological and emotional platforms,
such as gender, work environment, individual behaviors as well as the national and international
affairs affecting the world. Such influencers are known as the ‘health determinants’ and are
intricately interrelated to any individual’s as well as nation’s health and well being – which have
discussed extensively in this unit (Garg, Boynton-Jarrett & Dworkin, 2016).
This unit has enriched and enhanced by present knowledge of a nation’s, a community’s
and an individual’s health. Earlier, despite possessing sufficient knowledge on the influencers
underlying a person’s health condition, I initially believed that health was largely due to an
individual’s physical condition or due to the presence of any disease. At present, however, after
learning this unit, my existing knowledge on the scope and influencers of one’s health has
improved and been refined. Indeed, as can be leaned in this unit, health is multifaceted and not

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merely restricted to physical components but also consist of an individual’s social networks,
emotional wellbeing, socioeconomic status, psychological soundness and ecological or
environmental components of his or her surroundings (Garg et al., 2015). Hence, as per my
existing knowledge after learning this unit, I have learned that I must view an individual from a
wide perspective of determining factors rather than focus primarily on his or her disease
condition.
Future Career and Practice
Hence, this unit, in its detailed discussion of determinants of health, will also be of
significance to my future career and professional practice. As evidenced in scientific literature
and in this unit, an individual’s health status is determined by factors like social behaviors, group
influence, ecology, environment, ecology, culture, gender and socioeconomic status (Taylor et
al., 2016). As a professional practicing public health in the future, I now know that I must be
culturally competent, must ensure equitable distribution of health care resources to all genders
and socioeconomic groups and take into consideration and social constraints and responsibilities
and protective factors prior to assisting a community in terms of public health status
improvement. I must also ensure that my behaviors as well those engaged by my peers or clients
are sustainable and ecological feasible. Lastly, as learned from this unit, I must take into account
the importance of public health policy frameworks as guidelines for my future practice.
Public Health Competency Standards
Learning this unit is directly related to the Public Health Graduate Competencies
formulated by the Council of Academic Public Health Institutions Australia which I must learn,
comprehend and incorporate in my future professional practice as a public health worker.
According to these standards, for optimum public health practice, a public health worker must

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engage in disease prevention and control, health monitoring and surveillance, health promotion,
health protection, evidence based professional population health practice and health policy
planning and management (Council of Academic Public Health Institutions Australia 2019).
Hence, after learning this unit which is interlinked to such a competency standard, I have learned
that in future, I must actively conduct comprehensive assessments for monitoring the health of a
community, engage in preventive interventions for disease transmission control, address
therapeutic interventions to protect the health of the public, promote and advocate for the health
improvement of disadvantage groups, engage actively in policy usage and conduct evidence
based research for continuous improvement.
Additional public health competency standards in the form of health promotion
frameworks must also considered, as addressed in the health determinants discussed in this unit.
One of these include ‘Closing the Gap – Australia’s foundational health promotional framework
emphasizing in cultural competency (Trivedi et al., 2017). Additional health promotional
frameworks guiding future professional practice include sustainability approaches outlined the
World Health Organizations (WHO) Sustainable Development Goals, as well as by the Ottawa
Charter (Fortune et al., 2018).
Conclusion
Hence to conclude, learning the overall unit of PBHU630 has been an immensely
enriching and enlightening experience for me, especially in terms or refining my compliance to
the public health core competency standards, I am now well aware that during professional
practice as a public health professional in the future, I must adhere to the Public Health Graduate
Competencies established by CAPHIA as well as keep myself enlightened on the practice of

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public health promotion frameworks like the WHO’s Sustainable Development Goals, the
Ottawa Chart and Closing the Gap.

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References
Adler, N. E., Glymour, M. M., & Fielding, J. (2016). Addressing social determinants of health
and health inequalities. Jama, 316(16), 1641-1642. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.14058.
Council of Academic Public Health Institutions Australia (2019). Foundation Competencies for
Public Health Graduates in Australia. [online] Caphia.com.au. Available at:
http://caphia.com.au/testsite/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CAPHIA_document_DIGITAL
_nov_22.pdf [Accessed 30 May 2019].
Fortune, K., Becerra-Posada, F., Buss, P., Galvão, L. A. C., Contreras, A., Murphy, M., ... & de
Francisco, A. (2018). Health promotion and the agenda for sustainable development,
WHO Region of the Americas. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 96(9), 621.
doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.2471%2FBLT.17.204404.
Garg, A., Boynton-Jarrett, R., & Dworkin, P. H. (2016). Avoiding the unintended consequences
of screening for social determinants of health. Jama, 316(8), 813-814. doi:
10.1001/jama.2016.9282.
Garg, A., Toy, S., Tripodis, Y., Silverstein, M., & Freeman, E. (2015). Addressing social
determinants of health at well child care visits: a cluster RCT. Pediatrics, 135(2), e296.
doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1542%2Fpeds.2014-2888.
Taylor, L. A., Tan, A. X., Coyle, C. E., Ndumele, C., Rogan, E., Canavan, M., ... & Bradley, E.
H. (2016). Leveraging the social determinants of health: what works?. PLoS One, 11(8),
e0160217. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0160217.

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Trivedi, A. N., Bailie, R., Bailie, J., Brown, A., & Kelaher, M. (2017). Hospitalizations for
chronic conditions among indigenous Australians after medication copayment reductions:
the closing the gap copayment incentive. Journal of general internal medicine, 32(5),
501-507. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-016-3912-y.