Lesson 1 Introduction
Determinants of Health – A practical approach!
What is yours definition of “socio-economic status”?
Which could be the effects of low socio-economic status on health?
- Socio-economic status (SES) refers to a person’s level of education, income and occupation.
- Low SES usually refers to individuals with low educational achievement and/or low household income.
- Low SES is an important determinant for access to healthcare, to proper nutrition, to shelter, to work and to other elements that define an individual’s standard of living.
- Therefore, lower socioeconomic groups are at greater risk of poor health.
- Unemployed and uninsured people
- Low-income families
- (Ex)prisoners
- Single parent families
- Children, youth and women
- Person with disabilities
With low SES at increased risk for physical and mental diosrders, chronic disease, higher mortality and lower life expectancy.
- focus on the health issues of low socio-economic groups
- classify the health issues into physical and mental
- highlight the link between physical and mental disorders
- provide information about specific group of people (e.g. people with disabilities, single parent families)
- poverty;
- unreliable transportation;
- lack of insurance and prescription coverage;
- inability to buy services and supplies or to modify diets;
- substandard housing that may lack refrigeration, privacy, or adequate bath facilities.
