The Social Determinants of Health (SDOHs) have a tremendous impact on individuals’ health and well-being. Social determinants refer to the environmental conditions surrounding where individuals are born, live, learn, play, work, age, and worship (Palmer et al., 2019). The social determinants of health are grouped into five domains. The domains include; social and community, education access, economic stability, healthcare access, and neighborhood and environment built (Palmer et al., 2019). Firstly, the social and community domain entails people’s interactions and socializing lifestyles. This domain influences peoples’ identified living styles and their health education. The second domain on education access outlines peoples’ lives, health education status, and opportunities. The third domain on healthcare access identifies the health care services for the people in society. The health domain entails the peoples’ ability to access affordable quality medical services in clinics, hospitals for their well-being and family (Falkner, 2018). The other domain on economic stability enables the family to earn stable wages that support their health needs’ expenses. Lastly, the neighborhood and built environment create surroundings and environments that foster family health and safety. This paper examines the SDOH’s impact on family lives, health, and strategies for family health promotion to a greater extent.
Impact of SDOH’s on Family Health
The family I interviewed reside in a friendly neighborhood where they quickly access education, health services, and marketplaces. The children can get education in a nearby school and access health education. Generally, the entire family is well equipped with health education. The family is close to a health facility where they receive checkups and medications through an insurance cover. The family also has access to a marketplace that enables them to acquire health foodstuff for their balanced diet. Both the father and mother are employed, allowing them to cater to their healthy foodstuffs and insurance covers. One of the health challenges in the family is the health status of the grandmother. However, the family can cater for her medical bills and a balanced diet for her immunity status. Another issue is the stressful working conditions for the parents, the long working hours with minimum rest. This family frequently consults on their emotional and physical well-being in the nearby clinic. The family mother is well-informed about health issues, and she can cook for the family a balanced diet. Further, being a nurse, she can determine the health status in cases of illness in the family. Moreover, it is privileged to engage in family exercise routines with neighbors during evenings and weekends. The children are always informed about good nutrition and family rules. Family rules influence their healthy lifestyles, such as washing hands and eating fruits.
Appropriate Age for Family Screening
Health screening for families is significant in all ages, depending on the tests required. Screening can be done by an individual or prescriptions of a physician performing the process. Health screening entails early detention and frequent monitoring of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, strokes, and heart attacks (Maruish, 2017). Screening in family health assessment offers a piece of mind to individuals’ health status. According to Falkner (2018), various health screening tests are done daily, monthly, or yearly. They include; blood pressure, flu, height and weight, and cholesterol tests. The two children in the family need eye checkups to determine their sight to improve their performance in school. Additionally, the children need hearing tests to detect a hearing problem. Generally, the family needs blood screening to examine bacterial infections that can cause illnesses. The grandmother should have an annual checkup to test diabetes and pressure. The parents need regular checkups on their mental state to examine existing challenges likely to trigger depressions. Regular health checkups identify the early signs and symptoms that need detection for treatment during screening (Maruish, 2017). The family’s education level will help the screener conduct the health assessment through question and answer sessions.
Health Model for Action Plan
The socio-ecological model was created to examine disease prevention strategies and screening for disease detection (Kilanowski, 2017). According to Kilanowski (2017), this model examines the behavioral and psychological theory. It teaches individuals behavioral change for health safety and improvements. It identifies the interactions between the health nurses and the patients to increase interactions in their health treatment procedures. Typically, family health status influences individual behavior to a greater extent. About the Virginia family, the model will impact the family’s behavior to improve their health. The model will help the parents assess the health of the children and the older person through screening. The model will help the family adopt healthy behaviors such as sticking to a balanced diet for the family’s nutrition status. Frequent checkups are influential to the family’s nutritional status through tests conducted (Kilanowski, 2017). This model will teach the family the importance of exercising regularly and balanced diets to minimize disease infestation. Notably, this family needs an action plan to assess their health promotion. According to Kilanowski (2017), the first level of the model is the individual step that deals with an individual’s skills and knowledge. The second level is the interpersonal step, concerned with an individuals’ relation with others. The next is the organizational level that handles different communal sectors. Lastly, the public policy level entails governing bodies that help disease prevention.
References
Falkner A. (2018). Health Promotion: Health & Wellness across the Continuum. https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs429vn/health-promotion-health-and-wellness-across-the-continuum/v1.1/
Kilanowski, J. F. (2017). Breadth of the socio-ecological model. Journal of Agromedicine, 22(4), 295-297.
Palmer, R. C., Ismond, D., Rodriquez, E. J., & Kaufman, J. S. (2019). Social determinants of health: future directions for health disparities research. American journal of public health, 109(S1), S70-S71.
Maruish, M. E. (Ed.). (2017). Handbook of psychological assessment in primary care settings. Taylor & Francis.
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