scholarly journals Frameworks and inequalities in healthcare: some applications

Author(s):  
Pietro Renzi ◽  
Alberto Franci

Background Social determinants of health (SDOH) have increasingly entered health policy conversations as a growing body of researches, reveal the direct relationship between social determinants and health outcome. In fact, the recent literature is moving from the traditional model that focus on how health affects economic status, to a new view that economic status affects health. Objectives To investigate the principal conceptual frameworks for action on social determinants of health. Another aim is to contribute on the ongoing discourse on feasible measures which could be used to alert regions to inequalities in the distribution of health. Methodology, Italian data are used as a demonstration. Quadrant charts illustrate associations between how much regions spend on health and how effectively health system functions. The relevant inequality measures are used to rank health inequalities. Main results Frameworks have been presented to help communities, health professionals and others begin to better understand and address a variety of factors that affects health. Quadrant analysis technique shows the extent to which spending more on health, translates into better health outcomes, higher quality of care and improve access to care across the Italian regions, whilst also recognition the importance of major risk factors. Conclusions The social inequalities in health and what this means for how we understand and reduce them, as not to date been compressively examined empirically. There is an urgent need to expand our knowledge with comparable data on health determinants and more refined health outcomes. Furthermore, there is a need for feasible inequality measures in the health information systems. The measures used in this study, provide a step to inform and guide the uptake of equity-sensitive policies.

2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edna Johana Mondragón-Sánchez ◽  
Reinaldo Gutiérrez Barreiro ◽  
Marcos Venícios de Oliveira Lopes ◽  
Ana Karina Bezerra Pinheiro ◽  
Priscila de Souza Aquino ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objectives: to analyze the impact of the Colombian Peace Agreement on the structural social determinants of health. Methods: a descriptive, ecological study, based on documentary data from 2008 to 2018. The records of victims, epidemiological indicators, and structural social determinants of health in Colombia were analyzed. Results: there was a correlation between the period in which the Peace Agreement process was developed and the indicators of structural determinants in health with p<0.05. With the Poisson regression analysis, the favorable correlations between the peace process and the determinants were confirmed, besides allowing the understanding of the changes in these indicators before the Peace Agreement. Conclusions: the implementation of the peace process has a positive impact on structural social determinants of health, which is observed by the beginning of the decrease of economic, educational, health, and social inequalities and inequities, a fact that offers the possibility of living in peace.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 141 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Harrington ◽  
Robert M. Califf ◽  
Appathurai Balamurugan ◽  
Nancy Brown ◽  
Regina M. Benjamin ◽  
...  

Understanding and addressing the unique health needs of people residing in rural America is critical to the American Heart Association’s pursuit of a world with longer, healthier lives. Improving the health of rural populations is consistent with the American Heart Association’s commitment to health equity and its focus on social determinants of health to reduce and ideally to eliminate health disparities. This presidential advisory serves as a call to action for the American Heart Association and other stakeholders to make rural populations a priority in programming, research, and policy. This advisory first summarizes existing data on rural populations, communities, and health outcomes; explores 3 major groups of factors underlying urban-rural disparities in health outcomes, including individual factors, social determinants of health, and health delivery system factors; and then proposes a set of solutions spanning health system innovation, policy, and research aimed at improving rural health.


Author(s):  
Regina Celia Fiorati ◽  
Ricardo Alexandre Arcêncio ◽  
Larissa Barros de Souza

Objective to present a critical reflection upon the current and different interpretative models of the Social Determinants of Health and inequalities hindering access and the right to health. Method theoretical study using critical hermeneutics to acquire reconstructive understanding based on a dialectical relationship between the explanation and understanding of interpretative models of the social determinants of health and inequalities. Results interpretative models concerning the topic under study are classified. Three generations of interpretative models of the social determinants of health were identified and historically contextualized. The third and current generation presents a historical synthesis of the previous generations, including: neo-materialist theory, psychosocial theory, the theory of social capital, cultural-behavioral theory and the life course theory. Conclusion From dialectical reflection and social criticism emerge a discussion concerning the complementarity of the models of the social determinants of health and the need for a more comprehensive conception of the determinants to guide inter-sector actions to eradicate inequalities that hinder access to health.


Author(s):  
Holley A. Wilkin

When it comes to health and risk, “place” matters. People who live in lower-income neighborhoods are disproportionately affected by obesity and obesity-related diseases like heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes; asthma; cancers; mental health issues; etc., compared to those that live in higher-income communities. Contributing to these disparities are individual-level factors (e.g., education level, health literacy, healthcare access) and neighborhood-level factors such as the socioeconomic characteristics of the neighborhood; crime, violence, and social disorder; the built environment; and the presence or absence of health-enhancing and health-compromising resources. Social determinants of health—for example, social support, social networks, and social capital—may improve or further complicate health outcomes in low-income neighborhoods. Social support is a type of transaction between two or more people intended to help the recipient in some fashion. For instance, a person can help provide someone who is grieving or dealing with a newly diagnosed health issue by providing emotional support. Informational support may be provided to someone trying to diagnose, manage, and/or treat a health problem. Instrumental support may come in the help of making meals for someone who is ill, running errands for them, or taking them to a doctor’s appointment. Unfortunately, those who may have chronic diseases and require a lot of support or who otherwise do not feel able to provide support may not seek it due to the expectation of reciprocity. Neighborhood features can enable or constrain people from developing social networks that can help provide social support when needed. There are different types of social networks: some can enhance health outcomes, while others may have a more limiting or even a detrimental effect on health. Social capital results in the creation of resources that may or may not improve health outcomes. Communication infrastructure theory offers an opportunity to create theoretically grounded health interventions that consider the social and neighborhood characteristics that influence health outcomes. The theory states that every neighborhood has a communication infrastructure that consists of a neighborhood storytelling network—which includes elements similar to the social determinants of health—embedded in a communication action context that enables or constrains neighborhood storytelling. People who are more engaged in their neighborhood storytelling networks are in a better position to reduce health disparities—for example, to fight to keep clinics open or to clean up environmental waste. The communication action context features are similar to the neighborhood characteristics that influence health outcomes. Communication infrastructure theory may be useful in interventions to address neighborhood health and risk.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (s1) ◽  
pp. s95-s95
Author(s):  
Joseph Cuthbertson ◽  
Frank Archer ◽  
Jose Rodriguez-llanes ◽  
Andrew Robertson

Introduction:The rationale for undertaking this study was to investigate how characteristics of population health relate to and impact disaster risk, resilience, vulnerability, impact, and recovery. The multi-disciplinary environment that contextualizes disaster practice can influence determinants of health. Robust health determinants, or lack thereof, may influence the outcomes of disaster events affecting an individual or a community.Aim:To investigate how the social determinants of health inform community perceptions of disaster risk.Methods:Community perception of disaster risk in reference to the social determinants of health was assessed in this study. Individual interviews with participants from a community were conducted, all of whom were permanent community residents. Thematic analysis was conducted using narrative inquiry to gather firsthand insights on their perceptions of how characteristics of population health relate to and impact an individual’s disaster risk.Results:Analysis demonstrated commonality between interviewees in perceptions of the influence of the social determinants of health on individual disaster risk by determinant type. Interviewees sensed a strong correlation between low community connection and disaster risk vulnerability. Specific populations thought to have low community connection were perceived to be socially isolated, resulting in low knowledge or awareness of the surrounding disaster risks, or how to prepare and respond to disasters. In addition, they had reduced access to communication and support in time of need.Discussion:The importance of a strong social community connection was a feature of this research. Further research on how health determinants can enable disaster risk awareness and disaster risk communication is warranted.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 1109-1110
Author(s):  
Jessica S Ancker ◽  
Min-Hyung Kim ◽  
Yiye Zhang ◽  
Yongkang Zhang ◽  
Jyotishman Pathak

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Borde

Abstract Background One of the most marked characteristics of the global social structure is the existence of substantial social inequalities in wealth, which also find expression in health inequalities between and within countries. In an effort to provide an overview of the conceptual debates shaping the mobilisation around social determinants of health and health inequities, two of the most influential approaches in the field are compared: the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health approach (CSDH), strongly influenced by European Social Medicine, and the Latin American Social Medicine and Collective Health (LASM-CH) Social determination of the health-disease process approach, hitherto largely invisibilized. Methods A comprehensive literature review was conducted in three databases (Lilacs, Scielo, Medline/Pubmed), reference lists of selected papers, and citations in Google Scholar, including book titles. Results It is argued that the debates shaping the SDH agenda do not merely reflect terminological and conceptual differences, but essentially different ethical-political proposals that define the way health inequities are understood and proposed to be transformed. Conclusions While the health equity and SDH agenda probably also gained momentum due to the broad political alliance it managed to consolidate, it is necessary to make differences explicit as this allows for an increase in the breadth and specificity of the debate, facilitating the recognition of contextually relevant proposals towards the reduction of health inequities. Key messages Debates shaping the SDH agenda do not merely reflect terminological or conceptual differences, but distinct ethical-political proposals. Differences need to be discussed and made explicit to guide the development of contextually relevant efforts to reduce health inequities.


2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402110602
Author(s):  
Keabetswe Mogase ◽  
Tshepiso Moeketsi ◽  
Funeka B Sokudela

Introduction: Social factors are increasingly being used to determine health outcomes. The concept of social determinants of health has been used to shape policies that address disparities. There is a paucity of such studies in the forensic setting. This study aimed to use social determinants of health to identify social factors that are associated with being a male forensic patient. Methods: The study was a retrospective two-group (forensic and non-forensic) comparison clinical record review. Association was identified through independent and multivariate statistical analysis. Results: The study sample comprised of 296 patients, 56.4% ( n = 167) of which were non-forensic. The majority of the sample was black African, 50 years and older, single, unemployed and had attended main-stream schooling. Race ( p < .01), employment status ( p < .02), not completing high school ( p < .01), previous imprisonment ( p < .01), drug use ( p < .01) and not being on medication prior to admission ( p < .01) were significantly associated with being a forensic patient. Multivariate logistic regression analyses also confirmed these associations. Conclusion: Social determinants of health ought to be targeted to improve health outcomes of psychiatric patients. Collaborations between mental health, public health, law and policy makers as well as non-/governmental agencies may lead to change. Human rights of individuals with mental illness may thus be enhanced in the long run.


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