Social Determinants of Health for NZ Strategy - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theSocial Determinants of Health for NZ Health Strategy. Answer: Introduction Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the situations in which people live, learn, work and age. These conditions are the major causes of health inequalities in New Zealand. This assignment will discuss the concept of SDOH in relation to a selected research article and pertinent literature. Firstly, the assignment will explore the concept of SDOH. Secondly, it will discuss how SDOH influence health with reference to the selected research article. Finally, it will explain how the NZ Health Strategy (2016) intents to improve health and wellness in Aotearoa New Zealand. The concept of SDOH SDOH consist of different overlapping that influence health and wellbeing. Most of the factors begin at birth including biology and genetic traits, gender, culture and family effects on healthy child growth. Some of the elements have a greater effect on health and wellbeing than others. The family factors include the socio-economic resources for the parents to provide basic needs for children, education level of parents and sufficient social support (McMurray Clendon, 2015, p. 10). For better social support, the parents should have access to employment opportunities or adequate income source. It is evident that some of these SDOH are rooted in the political and economic environment since policy decisions affect community life. Consequently, there are various structural conditions within the SDOH. For instance, the social development of a community requires structures to create employment as well as an environment that supports healthy lifestyles (McMurray, Clendon, 2011, p. 11). Pe ople within the community require access to clean water, air and nutritional foods at affordable prices. Besides, hospitals and health professionals who are accessible on demand create the larger structure of a social environment (McMurray Clendon, 2015, p. 10). Evidently, the concept of SDOH is broad and encompasses factors within the control and beyond the control of the people, and that is why some of the SDOH are addressed through government policies. How SDOH may influence health Gunasekara, F. I., Carter, K., Mckenzie, S. (2013). Income?related health inequalities in working age men and women in Australia and New Zealand. Australian New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 37(3), 211?217. doi:10.1111/1753?6405.12061 This section investigates how SDOH might influence health with reference to the research by Gunasekara and colleagues. The authors aimed to evaluate income-linked inequalities in health in working-age males and females in Australia and New Zealand. They utilised data from two longitudinal studies to compare concentration indices that evaluate the distribution of general and mental health-linked quality of life (QOL) scores across income in working-age males and females. Additionally, decomposition evaluations of the concentration indices were performed to determine the influence of different factors on the income-related health inequality. This study unraveled that income, regional deprivation and inactiveness in the workforce were primary causes of income-associated health inequality. In conclusion, the authors note that income and employment are the leading causes of health inequality in New Zealand (Gunasekara, Carter, Mckenzie, 2013, p. 211). This research is relevant to essay t opic since it is founded on the disparities in health status and inequalities in health with a focus on socioeconomic position. The findings of this research are similar to several other studies that have found that SDOH influence health directly. One recent study found that the Maori, Pacific and other people with low socioeconomic status (SES) are at a higher risk of developing chronic illnesses compared to those with high SES. This difference results in high mortality and morbidity among the Maori and Pacific people (Sheridan et al., 2011, p. 45). Apart from these impacts, the difference in incomes also causes other health inequalities. Shamshirgaran et al. (2013, p. 1223), conducted a study to determine the influence of SES on the occurrence of type II diabetes. They found that the incidence of diabetes was higher in retirees and unemployed people compared to those who were employed. Further, the incidence of diabetes was generally high in individuals with low incomes. This study concluded that SES is an independent predictor of diabetes. Low SES can result in the occurrence of diabetes due to various factors. Individuals with low incomes might lack health literacy on the prevention of chronic illnesses (Benjamin, 2010, p. 784). They may also lack access to proper diets and exercises that help to prevent the occurrence of diabetes. This argument is supported by research performed by Grant and colleagues. In their study, they investigated the burden of communicable diseases in Maori children and non-communicable conditions among the adults in relation to poverty. Poverty was found to be an important contributor to c ommunicable and non-communicable diseases in this population. Due to poverty, pregnant women lack access to nutritious foods resulting in poor health of their children. A Recent study also asserts that area deprivation in New Zealand leads to poor health. It has been found that a significant number of the Maori people live in regions considered to be deprived in the country and this factor results in health inequalities (Bcares, Cormack, Harris, 2013, p. 76). Area deprivation is directly associated with poor health because of unequal access to health services and employment opportunities. How the NZ Health Strategy (2016) plans to support health and wellness in Aotearoa New Zealand The NZ Health Strategy (2016) consists of five pillars meant to enhance the health of the New Zealanders. The five pillars also outline a plan to support health and wellness in Aotearoa New Zealand. People-powered: This pillar is consistent with the Maori Health Strategy. The strategy proposes that individuals using health care services require ways to meet their immediate and future needs. As such, the people-powered strategy champions the contribution of Maori in decision-making on health care services. Closer to home: This strategy advocates for bring care closer to the people. It argues that different approaches can be used to offer care to the people who live in remote areas. For instance, the use of telehealth, outreach clinics and mobile vans can be used to reach the deprived areas (Minister of Health, 2016, p. 19). This strategy plans to use non-governmental organisations to bring care closer to the people. It cites the example of Maori and Pacific approaches and models, which can be embraced to make care affordable and accessible. Another plan is to use the Maori health network. The Maori health network would entail the use of population-based strategies to prevent long-term illnesses and promote healthier choices. Value and high performance: For Aotearoa New Zealand, this strategy aims to focus on Pacific community group. It plans to enhance the quality of health care for the population groups that face inequalities specifically the Maori people. This strategic plan would be achieved by eliminating infrastructural, physical and financial barriers to offer high-quality health services. One team: This strategic plan realises the need to minimise barriers that inhibit people from utilising their skills fully. It targets to empower Maori health providers. The support for Maori health providers might include the provision of health literacy education. Also, it could entail offering individuals opportunities to contribute in the designing of the health system (Minister of Health, 2016, p. 29). Smart system: The health system envisions the use of smart systems to offer care to the disadvantaged communities. The smart system would entail the use of technology such as telehealth, which can be used to reach people in rural areas (Dinesen et al., 2016, p. e53). Conclusion As evident in this assignment, SDOH result in health inequalities in New Zealand. Based on the selected article, income, regional deprivation and inactiveness in the labour force are significant causes of health inequalities. People from low SES are likely to experience poor health compared those from high SES. The NZ Health Strategy of (2016) intends to reduce these inequalities by improving access and designing culturally sensitive health services. References Bcares, L., Cormack, D., Harris, R. (2013). Ethnic density and area deprivation: Neighbourhood effects on M?ori health and racial discrimination in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Social Science Medicine, 88, 76-82. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.04.007 Benjamin, R. M. (2010). Improving health by improving health literacy. Public Health Reports, 125(6), 784- 785. doi: 10.1177/003335491012500602 Dinesen, B., Nonnecke, B., Lindeman, D., Toft, E., Kidholm, K., Jethwani, K., ... Gutierrez, M. (2016). Personalized telehealth in the future: a global research agenda. Journal of medical Internet research, 18(3), e53. doi: 10.2196/jmir.5257 Grant, C. C., Wall, C. R., Yates, R., Crengle, S. (2010). Nutrition and indigenous health in New Zealand. Journal of paediatrics and child health, 46(9), 479-482. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1754.2010.01842.x. Gunasekara, F. I., Carter, K., Mckenzie, S. (2013). Income?related health inequalities in working age men and women in Australia and New Zealand. Australian New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 37(3), 211?217. doi:10.1111/1753?6405.12061 McMurray, A., Clendon, J. (2015). Community health and wellness: Primary health care in practice (5th ed.). Chatswood, Australia: Elsevier Australia. McMurray, A., Clendon, J. (2011). Community health and wellness: Primary health care in practice. Chatswood, Australia: Elsevier Australia. Minister of Health. (2016). New Zealand Health Strategy: Future Direction. Wellington: Ministry of Health. Shamshirgaran, S. M., Jorm, L., Bambrick, H., Hennessy, A. (2013). Independent roles of country of birth and socioeconomic status in the occurrence of type 2 diabetes. BMC public health, 13(1), 1223. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-1223 Sheridan, N. F., Kenealy, T. W., Connolly, M. J., Mahony, F., Barber, P. A., Boyd, M. A., ... Dyall, L. (2011). Health equity in the New Zealand health care system: a national survey. International Journal for Equity in Health, 10(1), 45. doi: 10.1186/1475-9276-10-45