What Are Social Determinants Of Health? Explain How Social D
What Are Social Determinants Of Health Explain How Social Determinan
What are social determinants of health? Explain how social determinants of health contribute to the development of disease. Describe the fundamental idea that the communicable disease chain model is designed to represent. Give an example of the steps a nurse can take to break the link within the communicable disease chain. Resources within your text covering international/global health, and the websites in the topic materials, will assist you in answering this discussion question.
Paper For Above instruction
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in which individuals are born, grow, live, work, and age that influence their health outcomes. These determinants include factors such as socioeconomic status, education, employment, social support networks, neighborhood environment, and access to healthcare. Understanding SDOH is crucial because they significantly impact the likelihood of developing health problems, including both communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Social determinants of health contribute to disease development by shaping individuals' exposure to risk factors and their ability to access preventive services. For example, individuals with low socioeconomic status often experience limited access to nutritious food, safe housing, and quality healthcare, increasing their vulnerability to infections and chronic conditions. Poor living conditions, such as overcrowding and lack of sanitation, facilitate the spread of infectious diseases like tuberculosis and influenza. Conversely, robust social support and higher socioeconomic status are associated with better health outcomes through enhanced access to resources and healthier behaviors.
The fundamental idea behind the communicable disease chain model is to illustrate the interconnected steps necessary for the transmission of infectious diseases. This model depicts disease transmission as a sequence consisting of an infectious agent, a reservoir of the organism, a portal of exit from the reservoir, a mode of transmission, a portal of entry into a host, and a susceptible host. Breaking any link within this chain can interrupt the transmission, thereby controlling or preventing disease spread. This model is especially useful in public health and nursing practice for designing targeted interventions.
For instance, a nurse can take specific actions to disrupt this chain. To break the link at the mode of transmission, a nurse may promote hand hygiene and the use of personal protective equipment. To address the portal of entry, the nurse could educate patients about proper wound care or respiratory hygiene. Additionally, supporting vaccination programs helps establish immunity within the population, reducing the number of susceptible hosts. Improving sanitation and ensuring access to clean water can eliminate environmental reservoirs and lessen disease transmission. These measures collectively reduce the prevalence and impact of communicable diseases.
In the context of international and global health, addressing social determinants is vital to reducing health disparities and controlling infectious diseases worldwide. Strategies such as improving living conditions, expanding healthcare access, and promoting health education are essential components of global health initiatives. Overall, a comprehensive understanding of social determinants and the communicable disease chain enhances nurses’ ability to implement effective interventions that protect individual and community health.
References
- World Health Organization. (2008). Social determinants of health. https://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/
- Gawande, A. (2014). Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. Metropolitan Books.
- WHO. (2018). Addressing social determinants of health: the case for change. World Health Organization.
- Koh, H. K., & Gibbons, M. C. (2019). Social determinants of health in urban settings: policy challenges and opportunities. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 57(1), 105-107.
- Percent, M. P., & Cummings, K. (2017). Control of communicable diseases: the chain of transmission. Journal of Public Health.
- Braveman, P., & Gottlieb, L. M. (2014). The social determinants of health: it's time to consider the causes of the causes. Public Health Reports, 129(Suppl 2), 19–31.
- Kirby, R. S. (2017). Social determinants of health and health disparities: a perspective from immigrant and minority populations. Public Health Nursing, 34(4), 271–278.
- Gordon, C. M. (2020). Interventions to break the molecular chain of infection: a review. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 41(12), 1363-1370.
- 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.