Today is our topic of discussion Determinants of health
Determinants of health
Definition: These are the leading factors that contribute in aggregate to health status of an individual or populations. The major determinants of health includes –
Fig: Diagram showing the major determinants of healthiansmib-diodio
A. Biological determinants:
Age:
Few diseases are associated to specific age factor, such as NIDDM is the disease of middle age and elderly and ARI is an important cause of mortality in under-5 children.
Sex:
Sex determines few diseases, such as breast cancer almost exclusively occurs in females. IHD less commonly affects female.
Heredity :
The genetic make-up is unique for an individual which have important role in the evolution of a number of diseases, such as NIDDM, familial hypercholesterolaemia, blood group ‘O’ persons are susceptible to PUD.
B. Environment:
1.External:
It encompasses all that which is external to the individual human host. Any or all of www.which can affect the health of man and his susceptibility to illness. It can be divided into:
a. Physical:
Some external conditions affect physical status of man, such as heat, cold etc.
b. Biological:
Some biological behaviour related to health is associated with external environment, such as food intake, sleep, sex etc.
c. Psychosocial components:
Phycosocial environmental condition also affects health status of an individual, such as anger, praise etc.
2.Internal:
It encompasses proper and harmonious functioning of every body parts. which affects health of an individual.
C. Life-style and behavioural factors –
It is composed of cultural and behavoural patterns including personal habits (smoking, sedentary lifestyle etc.) that have contribution both for ‘well-being and development of ‘illness’.
D. Socio-economic & cultural condition –
For the majority of the people, health status is determined primarily by their level of socio-economic development, such as, education, nutrition, employment, housing etc.
E. Health and family welfare services-
It covers a wide spectrum of personal and community services for treatment of disease, prevention of illness and promotion of health. Example: Immunization of children can influence the incidence and prevalence of infectious diseases. provision of better sanitation system can prevent food and water-borne diseases etc.
Besides these, there are other factors which indirectly act as determinants of health. Such as, working environment, agricultural and food production, water and sanitation status. housing, unemployment, aging of the population, gender issues etc
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