Case Study: Social Determinants of Health in Nursing (NURSING 101)

This case study examines the life of Carla, a 54-year-old woman residing in a rural mining town, and analyzes the impact of socio-demographic factors and social determinants of health on her well-being. The study explores Carla's challenges related to her rural location, old age, and employment, highlighting the implications of neighborhood, physical environment, economic stability, community, and social context. It emphasizes the role of education as a critical social determinant, discussing the generational impact of lack of education and its influence on employment, income, and social welfare. The case study also examines the role of health professionals in addressing these determinants, including the need for education, inter-professional collaboration, community-based resources, and policy formulation. The analysis references various studies and reports, including those from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, to support its findings and recommendations for improving health outcomes in similar situations.

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NURSING
Student’s Name
Nursing
Course Studied
Course Code
State
City
Date

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Nursing
Socio-demographic Characteristics
Carla's residence in a rural location is a significant socio-demographic characteristic. In
Australia, approximately 29% (seven million) of the population rescind in rural and remote areas
of the country (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2018, p.1). The Australians face
fundamental challenges based on their rural location. Often, people who live in rural areas are
more prone to poor health and welfare outcomes compared to their counterparts in urban centers.
Old age is another socio-demographic factor that is linked to Carla. Old age is a
fundamental cause of chronic conditions in Australia. According to the Australian survey, the
prevalence of chronic conditions is higher in older people. According to the Australian Bureau of
statistics, the prevalence of diabetes increases with age. Following the National Health Survey
carried out in 2014-2015, approximately one person is six individuals aged above 65 years
reported to have diabetes (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2015, p.1). The link between diabetes
and aging must be a concern to Anne who has begun experiencing gestational diabetes at her first
pregnancy.
Employment is a vital socio-demographic factor. John fears losing employment at the
expense of his personal health. Employment rates in Australia differ with sex, age, education
achievement, and other related demographic factors. Research shows that employment among
women is lower (70%) compared to the employment rate in males (79%) in the country (ABS,
2018a).
Social Determinants of Health
Neighborhood and Physical environment is a significant social determinant of health. The
fact that Carla rescinds in a rural area has a huge implication on her wellbeing. In Australia, the

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proportion of adults who engage in ill-health conditions like smoking is majorly located in rural
areas compared to urban areas. As a result, rural areas are more prone to the occurrence of
chronic conditions compared to cities and metropolitan zones. The poor conditions in rural areas
are linked to the deficiency of other factors such as education, income, access to services, and
employment opportunities (Petra, Madeleine, and Michelle, 2012, p.4). This narrative is clearly
illustrated by Carla's condition in the case study. The victim lacks access to diverse factors that
contribute to her hardship lifestyle. Carla is brought up in an environment where people do not
know how to read (her aunt). This makes her struggle in her educational life, thus ending up
married at an early age (teen stage).
The rural residence gives rise to economic stability as another critical social determinant
of health. Employment is a significant challenge within the rural parts of Australia. In the case
study provided, John finds it difficult to secure a consistent job. As a result, he finds it difficult to
contribute the finance required in taking care of their 5-year-old child with Carla. As if that is not
enough, John fails to fail to reveal his head injury accident in the workplace due to the fears of
losing his job. The potential of an individual to undergo suffering rather than anticipations on
personal health defines the outcome of scarce employment opportunities in Australia. Finally,
John suffers from depression and anxiety.
Community and social context is a key determinant of health in Australia. Key aspects
under this determinant of health include social integration, community engagement,
discrimination, stress, and support systems (Heiman, and Artiga, 2015, p.2). These aspects have
been depicted by Carla, who finds it easy to work in grocery and retail positions while the child
is still young because of the shared childcare duties and doing operations in opposite shifts.
However, things get tighter as the child grows up due to the absence of financial stability. On the

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same note, Carla sacrifices to eat a toast of bread for the evening meal in order to travel and offer
her daughter (Anne-who is pregnant and occasionally gets tired) on a monthly base.
Education is also a paramount determiner of health in Australia (James et al., 2020, p.14).
Most of the individuals who are not educated rescind in rural areas. Carla fails to proceed with
her educational operation and gets married at an early age. The aunt, on the other hand, does not
know how to read, thus making Carla struggle during the schooling program. The same problem
is translated to Carla's children, who fail to attain good grades during their schooling. Anne
travels to the city where she lives with her boyfriend (Josh), who struggles to work and get to
school at the same time. They are expecting a baby, and this makes matters the family more
complicated to the extent that Josh is thinking of dropping education. It clear that lack of
knowledge is the background of the health problems is linked to the entire family from one
generation to the other.
Selection of Specific Social Determinant of Health
Based on the case study provided, education is a vital social determinant of health. Lack
of acquisition to adequate educational programs is a recurrent and generational program,
especially in rural areas. Most importantly, education has a fundamental impact on reshaping the
other social determinants of health (Keleher, & MacDougall, 2015, p.179). Through the
acquisition of education, an individual can get employed, get income to meet health demands.
Education is also the origin of social welfare in the community.
Education can be promoted through various means. Firstly, the government can invest in
infrastructural development, especially in rural areas of the country. The building of schools and
ease of means of transport to schools can serve a paramount role in promoting education

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acquisition to society. Infrastructure development also entails making learning resources
available to the students who live in rural areas of the country.
Education can also be facilitated through community campaigns on the importance of the
program (Guzys, Brown, Halcomb, & Whitehead, 2017, p.45). It is clear that most of the
members of the communities, especially in rural areas, do not know the importance of education
programs. Therefore, it is imperative to engage in campaigns and inform the public about the
significance of the initiative. The provision of incentives can also be implemented in schools to
encourage students to proceed with the program.
Financial support is also a significant aspect in facilitating education (Baum, 2016, p.34).
Most of the students in rural areas come from families who are suffering from financial limbo.
As a result, they may find it difficult to deal with educational demands like expenses while at the
same time struggling to cater for basic needs at home. Therefore, financial support, including
advancing educational loans, can be implemented to support knowledge acquisition in the rural
parts of the country.
Role of Health Professionals in Addressing Social Determinants of Health
Addressing the social determinants of health is a vital requirement among health
professionals. The initiative can only be promoted when health practitioners acquire adequate
information (education) on the program. Education also enables practitioners to deliver
transgender services to patients (Lilon, 2020, p.17). Health professionals should also take
advantage of a strong inter-professional-collaborative care approach. The practitioners should
also have access to ample community-based resources to which they may refer their patients
when in need. Therefore, they should engage in primary healthcare research operations on the
social determinants of health (Yallop et al., 2006, p.23). Adequate staffing is also essential for

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healthcare professionals to strike a balance between different clinical duties (Heath, 2019, p.1).
The practitioners should work as part of a team that incorporates patients, physicians, community
health workers, and social workers in order to address the aspects of health inequalities and
social determinants of health. Health professionals need to develop their cultural competence to
effectively create good relationships with patients. Health practitioners can engage in the
formulation of policies that promote the welfare of citizens in rural areas. For instance, extensive
restrictions on smoking in public places has reduced smoking among the youth (Wakefield et al.,
2002, p.380). The practitioners may also develop frameworks for the management of alcohol-
related complications. Health professionals can also incorporate teachings on social determinants
of health within their team-based care approach. Such a campaign plays a significant role in
developing different individuals on the implementation of the program into the nursing practice.

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Reference
ABS 2018a. Labour Force, Australia, December 2018. ABS cat. No. 6202.0. Canberra: ABS.
Retrieved from: https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/lookup/6202.0Media%20Release1Dec
%202018 (Accessed on 18th April 2020).
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2015. National Health Survey: first results, 2014–15—
Australia. ABS cat. No. 4364.0. Canberra: ABS. Retrieved from:
https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/4364.0.55.0012014-15?OpenDocument
(Accessed on 18th April 2020).
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2018. Australia’s health 2018. Australia’s health
series no. 16. AUS 221. Canberra: AIHW. Retrieved from:
https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/7c42913d-295f-4bc9-9c24-4e44eff4a04a/aihw-aus-221.pdf
(Accessed on 18th April 2020).
Baum, F 2016. The New Public Health, 4TH Edition, Oxford University Press, South
Melbourne. Retrieved from: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-new-public-health-
9780195588088?cc=us&lang=en& (Accessed on 18th April 2020).
Guzys, D, Brown, R, Halcomb, E, & Whitehead, D (Eds.). (2017). An Introduction to community
and primary healthcare. Ed.2, 23(27), 17. Retrieved:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d78d/3014ca40ff1d3df496495d836db5c9bc0f1d.pdf (Accessed on
18th April 2020).

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Heath, S., 2019. Supporting nurses to address the social determinants of health [online].
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determinants-of-health (Accessed on 18th April 2020).
Heiman, H.J., and Artiga, S., 2015. Beyond health care: the role of social determinants in
promoting health and health equity. Health, 20(10), pp.1-10. Retrieved from:
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in-promoting-health-and-health-equity/ (Accessed on 18th April 2020).
James, F., Angela, D., Rebecca, A., June, C., Kaashifah, B., and Roz, W., 2020. Development of
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