What Are Social Determinants Of Health And How Do They Affec

What Are Social Determinants Of Health How Do Social Determinants Of

What are social determinants of health? How do social determinants of health contribute to the development of illness? What is a communicable disease chain? Are there steps that a nurse can take to break a link within the communicable disease chain? Give a specific example.

Readings within your text covering international/global health and the following websites will assist you in answering these questions: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Global Health website: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Global Health website: Families USA - Why Global Health Matters—Here and Abroad website: World Health Organization (WHO) website:

Paper For Above instruction

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in which individuals are born, grow, live, work, and age. These conditions significantly influence health outcomes and contribute to health disparities across populations. Understanding SDOH is vital for developing comprehensive strategies to improve public health and reduce illness incidence globally and locally.

SDOH encompass factors such as socioeconomic status, education, neighborhood and physical environment, employment, social support networks, and access to healthcare. These elements shape health behaviors and risk exposures, thereby influencing the development of diseases. For example, individuals in low-income communities often experience higher exposure to environmental hazards, limited access to nutritious foods, and reduced healthcare availability, increasing their risk for illnesses like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and infectious diseases.

The development of illness often follows a series of interconnected events known as the communicable disease chain, which includes the infectious agent, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host. Interrupting any link in this chain can prevent disease transmission and reduce disease incidence. Nurses play a crucial role in this process by implementing targeted interventions to break the chain.

For example, tuberculosis (TB), a communicable disease, follows this chain: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (infectious agent) resides in a reservoir within infected individuals' lungs. The bacteria exit the body through the respiratory tract (portal of exit) via coughing, and are transmitted through airborne droplets (mode of transmission). The bacteria enter new hosts through inhalation (portal of entry), and certain individuals are more susceptible due to compromised immunity. Nurses can intervene at various points—educating patients about cough etiquette and respiratory hygiene, promoting vaccination, ensuring early detection and treatment, and advocating for improved living conditions—to break the disease chain and prevent TB transmission.

International and global health organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), CDC, and HHS emphasize the importance of addressing social determinants to control infectious diseases worldwide. Improving living standards, ensuring equitable access to healthcare, and enhancing health literacy are essential strategies for disease prevention and health promotion globally. The understanding of SDOH underpins the development of effective public health policies that aim to eliminate health disparities and promote health equity.

References

  • Braveman, P., & Gottlieb, L. (2014). The social determinants of health: It’s time to consider the causes of the causes. Public Health Reports, 129(Suppl 2), 19–31.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2022). Social Determinants of Health. https://www.cdc.gov/socialdeterminants/index.htm
  • World Health Organization (WHO). (2018). Social determinants of health. https://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/
  • World Health Organization (WHO). (2019). Global action plan on antimicrobial resistance 2019–2024. https://www.who.int/antimicrobial-resistance/global-action-plan/en/
  • Frieden, T. R., et al. (2017). Addressing social determinants of health through community-based interventions. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 52(1), S2–S3.
  • Solar, O., & Irwin, A. (2010). A conceptual framework for action on the social determinants of health. Social determinants of health discussion paper 2 (policy and practice). World Health Organization.
  • Haggerty, T. (2020). The role of nursing in disease prevention and health education. Journal of Nursing Education, 59(4), 192–197.
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). (2021). Global health. https://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/ophe/oha/what-we-do/global-health/index.html
  • Families USA. (2016). Why global health matters—here and abroad. https://familiesusa.org/resources/why-global-health-matters
  • Global Health Council. (2020). The global health landscape. https://globalhealth.org

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