KINE 1000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Olivier De Schutter, Food Desert, Catherine Porter
4 Jul 2018
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SDOH & Food Security
What are social determinants of health in general and what are some examples?
Social determinants of health are the economic and social conditions of life.
Studies show that social determinants of health affect health as much if not more than
biomedical lifestyle risk factors.
Examples : housing, employment (income level, conditions of work, job security), food
security, health care services, social safety net, class and education.
Inequalities in the social determinants of health lead to poor mental and physical health.
Those subjected to poor quality social determinants of health are more likely to die from
cancer, diabetes, or respiratory or cardiovascular disease.
Income determines the quality of other social determinants of health. There is a strong
connection between size of income gap and health of a population.
The USA is an economically richer country than Canada, but it has a higher infant
mortality rate and a lower life expectancy than Canada. Why?
The smaller country, Sweden does better than the USA or Canada in terms of the health of
its citizens. Why?
The wider the gap between rich and poor, the greater the unequal distribution of resources
and the poorer the population’s overall quality of social determinants of health.
The better the equality of the social determinants of health the better the health of citizens.
Therefore, governments have to pursue policies that improve the social determinants of
health.
Idea that healthy economy= healthy lives, neo-liberalism and erosion of the welfare
state.
What type of political policy does Barbara Ehrenreich investigate and how does she
conduct her investigations?
Neo-liberal policy
She is a journalist that goes undercover, posing as a single mother working the service
industry( in a diner as a server and at a hotel as a cleaner and a bed-maker in the house
keeping department)
What main social determinants of health are relevant to barbara’s assumed life and how do
her experiences speak to the issue of ‘structure and agency’?
Employment
Housing
Food security
Agency: the idea that individuals have freedom of choice and action
Structure: the idea that social condition shape our lives (our sense of identity, normalcy,
choice and opportunities in life)
Barbara finds herself trapped in a cycle of poverty. The low wages, long hours and lack of
personal resources mean that she has to work as much as possible in an endless struggle to
make ends meet.
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Document Summary
Social determinants of health are the economic and social conditions of life. Studies show that social determinants of health affect health as much if not more than biomedical lifestyle risk factors. Examples : housing, employment (income level, conditions of work, job security), food security, health care services, social safety net, class and education. Inequalities in the social determinants of health lead to poor mental and physical health. Those subjected to poor quality social determinants of health are more likely to die from cancer, diabetes, or respiratory or cardiovascular disease. Income determines the quality of other social determinants of health. There is a strong connection between size of income gap and health of a population. The usa is an economically richer country than canada, but it has a higher infant mortality rate and a lower life expectancy than canada. The smaller country, sweden does better than the usa or canada in terms of the health of its citizens.
