University Report: Social Determinants of Health and Heart Disease

This report delves into the critical relationship between social determinants of health (SDH) and heart disease, particularly within the Australian context. It begins by defining cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its prevalence, including incidence and mortality rates, highlighting the disproportionate impact on various demographic groups. The report then explores key SDH, such as socioeconomic position, early life experiences, social exclusion, employment, and housing, illustrating how these factors influence an individual's health and increase the risk of heart disease. Furthermore, the report examines public health interventions, including community-based platforms and environmental considerations, aimed at mitigating the negative effects of SDH. It also references strategies like the Healthy People 2010 action plan and the American Heart Association's initiatives, emphasizing the need for comprehensive approaches to address health inequalities and improve heart health outcomes. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and emphasizing the importance of understanding and addressing SDH to reduce the burden of heart disease in Australia.

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

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Burden of heart diseases.............................................................................................................3
 Incidence.........................................................................................................................3
 Mortality..........................................................................................................................3
Social determinant of health for heart diseases..........................................................................4
Public health interventions.........................................................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
Vascular, stroke and heart diseases are the conditions, which effect the blood vessels
or heart. The above heart disorders are assembled in the comprehensive word of
cardiovascular disease (CVD). Cardiovascular disease includes some serious health issues
such as heart failure, stroke and coronary heart disease (aihw.gov.au, 2019). In Australia,
cardiovascular disease is considered as the chief health issue with approximately 4.2 million
people affected with CVD in the year 2014-15. Heart disease in Australia is more prevalent
among males as compared to indigenous people, people living in remote areas, elder
population and socio-economic areas. The social determinants of health (SDH) are majorly
effecting the people in Australia by increasing the mortality rate of heart diseases (Embrett &
Randall, 2014). Social determinants of health includes social norms, political system,
economic policy and system, social policies and development agendas. Social determinants
can weaken or strengthen the well-being of communities and individuals. According to
WHO, the societal surroundings in which an individual is born, work and live is the supreme
significant determinant of bad health or well-being (who.int, 2019).

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Burden of heart diseases
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the major heath issue suffered by the population of
Australia and a major reason of death. This disease kills at least one individual in every 12
minutes in Australia (Sahle et al., 2016). More than 18,590 Australians died due to heart
diseases in the year 2017. In 2009, more than half of the population who died due to CVD
were men. In United Nations, the prevalence of death due to heart disease is more common in
male than in female (Nichols et al., 2016).
 Incidence
Heart disease is considered as the single prominent reason of death among Australian
population effecting large number of men population. More than 18,590 people died in 2017,
due to heart diseases in Australia and almost 3% of the Australian population claim to be
suffering from long-term heart problems in 2014-15 (Hri.org.au, 2019). The rate of heart
diseases is twice more common in men than in women with more incidence of male death in
Australia. In 2014-15, more than 18.3% of Australian (4.2 million people) died due to
circulatory system malfunction with 1.2 million people died were included under heart
diseases (Purcell, Mclnnes & Halcomb, 2014)
 Mortality
The mortality rate due to heart diseases is higher in Australia with approximately
19,000 people died in 2017 due to heart disease. Herat disease is considered as the leading
reason of death in Australia. More than 13% of Australian men died due to heart diseases,
which is estimated as the highest death among any population (Foundation, 2019).
Approximately 51 people die due to heart diseases in Australia each day even after 22%
decrease in mortality rate from past years effecting more men population as compared to
women (Huxley et al., 2014).

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Social determinant of health for heart diseases
The factors, which influence the wellbeing and illness of an individual health is,
determined under three main determinants of well-being, which include social determinants,
behavioural and biomedical risk factors (Havranek et al., 2015). The well-being and illness of
an individual is effected by various social determinants and on the choices that an individual
make to lead their life. The relationship between the working condition and living lifestyles
have a great influence on the well-being condition of a person. The social determinants of
well-being include various influences such as education, employment condition, social
support and income (aihw.gov.au, 2019).
Source: (aihw.gov.au, 2019). A framework for determinants of health
The important social determinants effecting the well-being of men includes the following
(Cockerham, Hamby & Oates, 2017):
1. Socio-economic position- Men are at a higher risk of bad health condition, death,
illness and short lives due to socio-economic problems. The indicators of socio-
economic positions include occupation, educational attainment and income. The

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educational level of an individual determine their income and employment (Thornton
et al., 2016). An individual with poor education or income tend to lack behind and
develop stress, which in turn lead to various heart related problems. People with poor
income cannot initiate a better healthcare treatment and option, which in turn
increases the rate of illness or injury thus effecting the individual’s socio-economic
position. Men have a higher probability of suffering in such conditions as they have to
take care of the entire family especially children’s.
2. Early life- The foundation of the health condition in adults starts from their initial
childhood phases concerning the development in emotional, social and physical
factors. Healthy support to a child including emotional or social factors helps in
achieving a healthy physical development (aihw.gov.au, 2019). The men who lack the
support often tend to be poor at education and literacy thereby affecting their entire
life of health development as they lack behind in income, employment and health
literacy due to which the major population of Australian men suffers from heart
diseases.
3. Social exclusion- Social exclusion is an extensive concept, which involves lack of
resources, skills, participation, and opportunity. Social exclusion result in
discrimination, unemployment, and stigmatisation. Social exclusion causes bad health
and psychological impairment due to long-term anxiety and stress. Great amounts of
men are affected because to this factor hence effecting their relationships and
increasing the danger of illness, communal loneliness and disability (Cockerham,
Hamby & Oates, 2017).
4. Employment and Work- Unemployment leads to psychosocial stress, which has a
powerful influence on the mental and physical health of an individual thus effecting
their wellbeing (Compton & Shim, 2015). The men suffering with unemployment are

6SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
highly effected with cardiovascular diseases and are at higher risk of heart failure or
heart diseases. The financial problem increases the prevalence in unemployed men.
5. Housing and residential environment- The affordable secure and safe housing is
connected with a better health outcome of an individual, which in turn affects the
individual participation in education, community and work. This factor also disturbs
the parenting and social relationships of an individual (Havranek et al., 2015). A lack
of proper housing environment effects large number of men mentally, which in turn
effects their entire health conditions, as they are unable to take care of their family
and children.
Public health interventions
In order to prevent the increasing rate of heart diseases due to social determinants
different approaches or strategies are considered. Public health intervention will improve
different supportive strategies in order to cultivate, implement, and assess intervention
agendas, leading to the ultimate objective of decreasing the problem of heart disease through
risk management of disease (Braveman & Gottlieb, 2014). To overcome the social factor of
unemployment and education, Community- based platform should set up involving people
from different population and community.
Community-based platform- This public intervention is build and implemented by
individual of different population to overcome the factor of education and unemployment,
which effects the health condition of an individual especially men. Community-based
platform provides an opportunity to access individuals based on their gatherings such as
worksites, schools, and additional community establishments to provide a chance to
overcome the unemployment rate and bad educational background (Hahn & Truman, 2015).
This program will allow people from various background to communicate with each other

7SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
and educate themselves with a proper support from the community members who will look
forward to the wellbeing of the individual with higher risk of health impairment.
Physical environment and living condition consideration- The main accomplishments of
public health intervention was in manipulating the environmental factors responsible for the
bad health condition of men in Australia. Public intervention included prevention of disease
method by increasing the interactions among men and the environment (CDC.gov, 2019).
The congested housing, insufficient waste disposal, absence of non-toxic water, and
inadequate and hazardous food. The above factors donated in increasing the mortality rate
among men due to contagious diseases. Public well-being interventions includes housing
enhancement, garbage collection, sewage system production, pasteurized milk, admittance to
antitoxins and vaccines and chlorinated water supply.
 Public health intervention involved in other sectors of apart from heath care are as
follows:
Healthy people 2010- An Action Plan: The primary purpose of this action plan is to
increase the years and quality of life by eliminating the health discrepancies. The plan also
addresses the primary specific goals relating to heart disease and heart stroke (Cdc.gov,
2019). The purpose of these goals include detection, identification, treatment and prevention
of risk factors, responsible for high mortality rate in Australia for heart diseases. An action
agenda is outlined, which includes the wide-ranging public well-being strategy termed as the
Action Plan, highlighting the goals of prevention. The central features included in the action
plan are as follows (Cdc.gov, 2019):
1. Summarizing the present reality
2. Vision of the forthcoming or future
3. Intervention approaches
4. Goals of partnership with Healthy people 2010

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5. Target population.
American Heart Association- AHA has acknowledged the part of social factors responsible
for bad heart health. AHA has underlined the significance of lecturing the social determinants
to accomplish the 2020 aim of supporting heart health for men. AHA has embraced the
philosophy of well-being model for the men population of Australia by promoting the
conception of populace health (Foundation, 2019). According to AHA, health improvement
involves care to the involved social determinants such as education, transportation, economic
improvement and housing. Hence, the aim of this policy would be to work under this factor
and improve the health condition of men in Australia.
Conclusion
This report gave a detail insight regarding the prevalence of heart diseases in
Australia, which results in high mortality rate due to heart diseases. The incidence, mortality,
morbidity, prevalence and quality of life were underlined in the above discussion. It was
noted that social determinant factors played a major role in influencing the well-being of an
individual. Different factors under the social determinant of health influencing well-being of
an individual were explained in detail, which included unemployment, lack of income, social
support and education. Public intervention can be a helpful approach in managing the social
determinant factors with the help of certain public policies for effective management of an
individual well-being.

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