Poverty As A Social Determinant Of Health Discussion

Poverty As A Social Determinant Of Health Discussion

As indicated in the Mason et al. (2016) textbook, “social determinants of health are factors in the sociocultural and political environments that contribute to or detract from the health of individuals and communities” (p. 646). For a community to improve its health, community members and stakeholders must often change aspects of the physical, social, organizational, and political environments to eliminate or reduce factors that contribute to health problems or to introduce new elements that promote better health and outcomes. Examine poverty as a determinant of health in Florida and discuss challenges in initiating and sustaining change in your community. Identify at least one governmental and/or non-governmental report that would support your claims and viewpoints Poverty As A Social Determinant Of Health Discussion.

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Poverty is a social determinant of health in Florida. Individuals and families with incomes below the poverty line have difficulty meeting basic needs like food, stable housing, and health insurance coverage. In 2020, the percentage of families below federal poverty line in Florida was 9.4. (Florida Health, 2022).   Income offers economic resources that determine choices about food, medical care, education, and housing; poor individuals and families are more likely to reside in unsafe neighborhoods and homes, with limited access to employment options and healthy foods.  According to Khullar and Chokshi (2018)Poverty As A Social Determinant Of Health Discussion, there are numerous mechanisms through which income influences health.  Compared to higher-income individuals, low-income individuals have more difficulty accessing primary and specialty because they are less likely to have health insurance. Low-income individuals have lower levels of physical activities and have heightened rates of behavioral risk factors such as substance use and smoking, which are greatly influenced by the challenging community and home environments in which they reside. Communities that live in poverty also face structural challenges that contribute to higher rates of chronic disease and obesity, including higher concentration of fast food restaurants and less access to fresh food.

Poverty as a determinant of health in Florida was more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Backer et al. (2022), in Dec 2021, Florida accounted for 63, 000 deaths and  4, 933, 000 cases alone,  ranking it third among all states in the total number of deaths and cases.  Florida counties with the highest rate of poverty,  (that is, greater than 17.3 percent below the federal poverty level) had the greatest rate of COVID-19 deaths and cases per 100, 00 individuals. Social distancing is compromised in low-income communities because maintaining an adequate income by working distantly is rarely a practical option. Palacio and Tamariz (2021) emphasize that groups with very low median household income are at the greatest risk of COVID-19 infection due to financial difficulties meeting basic needs like medications or food. Also, these groups are less likely to stay at home for long periods due to work-related demands Poverty As A Social Determinant Of Health Discussion.

Initiating and sustaining change in my community might be challenging since isolating the contribution of poverty to health can be hard, partly since income intersects with numerous other social risk factors such as geography, sex, educational status, and race. As indicated by Khullar and Chokshi higher income individuals reside in healthier neighborhoods and have more social capital and higher educational attainment. Race has a strong influence on other socioeconomic factors including income. Black Americans have both shorter life expectancies and lower incomes compared to white Americans. Racial health disparities are a result of persistent financial hardships caused by centuries of segregation and exploitation and also the direct toxic impacts of discrimination on physical and mental health Poverty As A Social Determinant Of Health Discussion.

References

Backer,  S., Rezene, A., Kahar, P., & Khanna, D.  (2022). Socioeconomic Determinants of COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality in Florida. Cureus, 14(2), e22491. doi: 10.7759/cureus.22491

Florida Health. (2022). Families Below Poverty Level. https://www.flhealthcharts.gov/ChartsReports/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=NonVitalIndGrp.Dataviewer&cid=0296

Khullar, D., & Chokshi, D. A. (2018). Health, Income, & Poverty: Where We Are & What Could Help.  Health AffairsHealth Policy Brief,October 4, 2018.DOI: 10.1377/hpb20180817.901935

Palacio, A., & Tamariz, L. (2021). Social Determinants of Health Mediate COVID-19 Disparities in South Florida. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 36(2), 472-477. doi: 10.1007/s11606-020-06341-9 Poverty As A Social Determinant Of Health Discussion