PART 1
CANADA
(Russell, 2016)
There has
been an ongoing debate on the definition of health and the determinants of health
in society. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social
well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The enjoyment of
the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of
every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief,
economic or social condition.” ("Constitution of WHO: principles",
n.d.). This previously accepted WHO definition has been criticized by many as
being insufficient and out-dated and as such, the search is on to find a more
applicable concept to health and its determinants.
In Canada
Canada is a
country that is overall considered to be healthy. With public healthcare
provided to all citizens and permanent residents, universality and accessibility
is not an issue for most Canadians. However, within the country itself, many
differences are noted between different groups of people and this helps to form
the determinants of health.
“The Public
Health Agency of Canada currently lists 12 determinants:
- Physical environments;
- Employment and working
conditions;
- Social environments;
- Social support networks;
- Health services;
- Culture;
- Income and social status;
- Education and literacy;
- Personal health practices and
coping skills;
- Healthy child development;
- Biology and genetic endowment;
- Gender.
Many of
these determinants may be grouped under the general heading of socio-economic
status (SES).” ("Determinants: Definitions and Core Concepts",
2017).
Despite having
an outline of what these determinants are, it is found that there are still demographics
within Canada whose health are impacted due to their socio-economic status.
Research has found that Indigenous people, seniors and persons living in rural
areas often are found to have poorer health than the general public.
In an
article by Dr. John Lavis, he expresses how policymakers’ decisions can affect
overall health at a non-medical determinant level.
“..The main
implications of nonmedical determinants of health lie outside the health
sector, in policy sectors (such as finance, labor, and social services) that
can influence people’s income, employment opportunities, and social supports…Moreover,
while we have a great deal of evidence about the associations between poverty
and health, unemployment and health, and social isolation and health, we have
few evaluations of how specific policies that address these three conditions
affect health and the other economic and social outcomes that matter to us.”
(Lavis, 2002).
In order for
Canada to ensure that their citizens are maintaining a good standard of health,
provincial leaders need to keep in mind the varying determinants of health and
establish policies based on the needs of their population and the communities
and demographics that fall within it. As each province differs so greatly, this
is not a “one-size-fits-all” concept. Some provinces or even cities and towns
within provinces may require a change in one socio-economic determinant while
others need increased attention in other determinants.
I spent over
four years studying, living and working in the province of New Brunswick,
residing in Saint John and Moncton (the two most populous cities). A further
look at how health determinants affect the health of the New Brunswick population
will be discussed in Part 2.
References:
Constitution
of WHO: principles. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.who.int/about/mission/en/
Determinants:
Definitions and Core Concepts. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.med.uottawa.ca/sim/data/Pub_Determinants_e.htm
Lavis, J.
(2002). Ideas At The Margin Or Marginalized Ideas? Nonmedical Determinants Of
Health In Canada. Health Affairs, 21(2), 107-112. doi:
10.1377/hlthaff.21.2.107
Russell, L.
(2016). NACCHO Aboriginal Health #SDoH News: Delivering better health
is about more than healthcare [Image]. Retrieved from
https://nacchocommunique.com/tag/social-determinants-of-health/
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