scholarly journals Statewide Impact of COVID-19 on Social Determinants of Health - A First Look: Findings from the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen M.C. Malecki ◽  
Amy A. Schultz ◽  
Maria Nikodemova ◽  
Matt C. Walsh ◽  
Andrew J. Bersch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Family Dynamics ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Economic Shocks ◽  
Policies And Programs ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Health And Well Being

ABSTRACTThere is an urgent need to track the early and ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on population health from local to global scales. At the same time, there is an overall lack of U.S. state-specific surveillance data tracking social determinants of health (SDOH) and associations with population well-being, individual mitigation and coping strategies, family dynamics and other economic shocks of the pandemic in populations. Statewide data can offer important insights into how SDOH shape the long-term effects of COVID-19 in the population since implementation of many policies and programs varied widely early on in the pandemic. In May of 2020, the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) program launched a statewide online/phone survey of early and ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on health and well-being across diverse communities and families. The goal of this study is to provide descriptive data including perceived COVID-19 risks, access to and results of COVID-19 antigen testing, individual mitigation and coping strategies, family dynamics and other economic shocks of the pandemic on health and mental health in populations. Key findings include higher rates of testing and perceived past infection from COVID-19 among non-white respondents. Higher economic shifts and job changes in female vs male respondents. Families with children reported overall higher levels of stress, and stress from the pandemic. There were urban and rural differences in changes to access to care. Rural regions, which had a lower prevalence of infections early in the pandemic as compared to urban areas, also reported fewer delays or missed appointments due to COVID-19. Key findings show that SDOH are shaping impacts of health and well-being early on in the pandemic and future longitudinal follow-up will be important to shape policies and programs well into the future.

scholarly journals How can social enterprises impact health and well-being?

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 697-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katy Gordon ◽  
Juliette Wilson ◽  
Andrea Tonner ◽  
Eleanor Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Enterprises ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts of social enterprise on individual and community health and well-being. It focusses on community food initiatives, their impact on the social determinants of health and the influence of structure on their outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Using an interpretive qualitative approach through case studies focussed on two community food social enterprises, the research team conducted observations, interviews and ad hoc conversations. Findings Researchers found that social enterprises impacted all layers of the social determinants of health model but that there was greater impact on individual lifestyle factors and social and community networks. Impact at the higher socio-economic, cultural and environmental layer was more constrained. There was also evidence of the structural factors both enabling and constraining impact at all levels. Practical implications This study helps to facilitate understanding on the role of social enterprises as a key way for individuals and communities to work together to build their capabilities and resilience when facing health inequalities. Building upon previous work, it provides insight into the practices, limitations and challenges of those engaged in encouraging and supporting behavioural changes. Originality/value The paper contributes to a deeper insight of the use, motivation and understanding of social enterprise as an operating model by community food initiatives. It provides evidence of the impact of such social enterprises on the social determinants of health and uses structuration theory (Giddens, 1984) to explore how structure both influences and constrains the impact of these enterprises.

The Evolving Idea of Social Responsibility in Bioethics

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHANNA AHOLA-LAUNONEN
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Personal Health ◽  
The Social ◽  
Public Policy Decisions ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract:This article discusses the notion of social responsibility for personal health and well-being in bioethics. Although social responsibility is an intrinsic aspect of bioethics, and its role is increasingly recognized in certain areas, it can still be claimed that bioethics in general is committed to an individualistic theoretical framework that disregards the social context in which decisions, health, and well-being are situated. The philosophical premises of this framework regard individuals as rational decisionmakers who can be held accountable for their health conditions and who should be the primary objects of intervention in attempts to reduce lifestyle-associated chronic diseases. There are, however, social determinants of health that challenge this conclusion. Because their impact can be controlled, to a certain extent, by social and public policy decisions, their existence shows the inadequacy of the purely individualistic approach. I suggest, accordingly, that bioethics would benefit, both academically and societally, from a more social perspective. Bioethical studies that acknowledge, from the start, the social determinants of health would be more amenable to constructive multi- and interdisciplinarity, and a more balanced account of responsibility would further the contribution of sound bioethical work to sensible public policies.

scholarly journals Child Poverty, Toxic Stress, and Social Determinants of Health: Screening and Care Coordination

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucine Francis ◽  
Kelli DePriest ◽  
Marcella Wilson ◽  
Deborah Gross
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Child Poverty ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Health And Well Being

Social determinants of health (SDOH) refer to the social, economic, and physical conditions in which people live that may affect their health. Poverty, which affects nearly 15 million children in the United States, has far-reaching effects on children’s physical and mental health. Although it is difficult to change a family’s economic circumstances, nurses can play a critical role to address SDOH through screening and effective coordination of care. As nurses, our role is to minimize the effects of SDOH, including poverty, on child health and well-being through our practice, research, and professional education. We present three exemplars of child poverty to demonstrate the impact on child health and well-being and propose a model of care for nurses to assess and address SDOH in the pediatric clinical setting.

Informal Recyclers’ Health Inequities in Vancouver, BC

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 321-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josie Wittmer ◽  
Kate Parizeau
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Health ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Health Inequities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Health Related

We explore informal recyclers’ perceptions and experiences of the social determinants of health in Vancouver, Canada, and investigate the factors that contribute to the environmental health inequities they experience. Based on in-depth interviews with 40 informal recyclers and 7 key informants, we used a social determinants of health framework to detail the health threats that informal recyclers associated with their work and the factors that influenced their access to health-related resources and services. Our analysis reveals that the structural factors influencing environmental health inequities included insufficient government resources for low-income urbanites; the potential for stigma, clientization, and discrimination at some health and social service providers; and the legal marginalization of informal recycling and associated activities. We conclude that Vancouver's informal recyclers experience inequitable access to health-related resources and services, and they are knowledgeable observers of the factors that influence their own health and well-being.

scholarly journals California Healthy Places Index: Frames Matter

2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (4) ◽  
pp. 354-362
Author(s):  
Neil Maizlish ◽  
Tracy Delaney ◽  
Helen Dowling ◽  
Derek A. Chapman ◽  
Roy Sabo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Census Tract ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Census Tracts ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
The Social

Introduction: We describe the California Healthy Places Index (HPI) and its performance relative to other indexes for measuring community well-being at the census-tract level. The HPI arose from a need identified by health departments and community organizations for an index rooted in the social determinants of health for place-based policy making and program targeting. The index was geographically granular, validated against life expectancy at birth, and linked to policy actions. Materials and Methods: Guided by literature, public health experts, and a positive asset frame, we developed a composite index of community well-being for California from publicly available census-tract data on place-based factors linked to health. The 25 HPI indicators spanned 8 domains; weights were derived from their empirical association with tract-level life expectancy using weighted quantile sums methods. Results: The HPI’s domains were aligned with the social determinants of health and policy action areas of economic resources, education, housing, transportation, clean environment, neighborhood conditions, social resources, and health care access. The overall HPI score was the sum of weighted domain scores, of which economy and education were highly influential (50% of total weights). The HPI was strongly associated with life expectancy at birth ( r = 0.58). Compared with the HPI, a pollution-oriented index did not capture one-third of the most disadvantaged quartile of census tracts (representing 3 million Californians). Overlap of the HPI’s most disadvantaged quartile of census tracts was greater for indexes of economic deprivation. We visualized the HPI percentile ranking as a web-based mapping tool that presented the HPI at multiple geographies and that linked indicators to an action-oriented policy guide. Practice Implications: The framing of indexes and specifications such as domain weighting have substantial consequences for prioritizing disadvantaged populations. The HPI provides a model for tools and new methods that help prioritize investments and identify multisectoral opportunities for policy action.

The Social Determinants of Health in a Community Context: Lessons for Sociological Practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-81
Author(s):  
Tim Knapp ◽  
Lisa Hall
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Sociological Practice ◽  
The Social

Much of the research on the social determinants of health has been done at national or international comparative levels. Findings from these studies highlight the importance of macro social factors that affect health outcomes, such as limited and unequal access to health care and the effects of racial discrimination, economic inequality, and patriarchy. However, such macro-level research provides limited information about how applied and clinical sociologists can address local social determinants of health and improve the well-being of individuals and community residents. Results from a county-level public health survey shed more specific light on how interpersonal networks, social activities, and neighborhood characteristics affect people’s physical and mental health. The results can be utilized by clinical and applied sociologists who counsel individuals and work to invigorate neighborhoods, and by public health officials who develop and reform community-level health policies and programs.

scholarly journals Income and Income Inequality as Social Determinants of Health. Do Social Comparisons Play a Role?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Präg ◽  
Melinda C. Mills ◽  
Rafael Wittek
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Social Determinants Of Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Social Comparisons ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Determinants Of Health ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Health Differences ◽  
Negative Effect

Two of the most prominent phenomena in the study of social determinants of health, the socio-economic gradient in health and the income inequality–health association, have both been suggested to be explainable by the mechanism of status comparisons. This, however, has rarely ever been tested in a direct fashion. In this article, we explicate and test this mechanism by assessing the role of social comparison orientation. Research has shown that individuals vary in their propensity to engage in social comparisons, and those with a higher propensity are also more likely to be affected by the outcomes of such comparisons. In our analysis, we check whether the tendency to compare one’s income to that of others can contribute to explaining socio-economic disparities in health. Using individual-level data (N = 18,356) from 23 European countries on self-rated overall health and psychological well-being, we show that a high-income comparison orientation neither moderates the negative effect of income inequality on health nor the health differences by relative income. Our findings cast doubt on the crucial role that researchers such as Wilkinson and Pickett (2010) have attributed to the mechanism of status differentiation as the link between social stratification and health outcomes.

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