Explore Healthy People 2020 to learn about social determinants of health

Social Determinants of Health

The health of people is affected by diverse factors like medicine, technology, and social aspects. Therefore, while healthcare stakeholders must use the available regulations and scientific innovations to solve health problems, social determinants must be considered. The healthy People initiatives put lots of emphasis on social determinants like transport, public safety, and poverty. By making social determinants important in healthcare planning and development, Healthy People recognizes that people do not live in seclusion. The existing social systems and aspects of their lives affect their health outcomes and their predisposition to health issues.

One importance of social determinants is that they determine whether or not people can access healthcare and related services. Healthy People 2020 includes various social factors that affect people’s uptake of services (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2021). They include whether or not people have transport means and public safety, among others. The ability of people to reach healthcare facilities and communicate with professionals is important. For instance, while people may have transport means, they should share and describe their issues to professionals. For instance, communicating with different languages may make it hard for a person to access services. The communication barrier will limit the professional's understanding of the patient unless there is an interpreter. Factors like security may affect people's movement and therefore determine whether or not they will get care. Providers are also unlikely to prefer places with low security. Therefore people in areas with war or theft, murder, and other security issues may not access care because providers may prefer to service other societies.

Social factors may also determine the costs of care that people may have to incur and hence affect their care uptake. For instance, factors like transport and socioeconomic issues like joblessness may have a serious impact on healthcare costs (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2021). In places where people cannot afford insurance, their health outcomes are likely to be poor. Joblessness and poverty determine whether people can buy drugs and services and whether they can access insurance.

Social determinants should also be considered when planning. The identification of the various determinants by Healthy People enables relevant stakeholders to make adequate plans. For instance, the list may help planners know the strategies to use for various people based on how they score in the various factors (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2021). For instance, when doing public health planning to establish resources, the planners have to ensure that they make services accessible by ensuring that there are roads and other means of transport that will enable people to reach the facility. They also have to plan for issues like culture and communication. Therefore, planners may employ interpreters to ensure that messages can be exchanged (Palmer et al., 2019). Social determinants are important for planning for both clinical health and public health. Public health is especially important in helping entire societies get better health outcomes. For instance, planners may situate a hospital in a place to ensure that they reduce the need for traveling to other laces and make care accessible to the poor.

Social determinants may also be used to measure policy outcomes and show where disparities exist (Palmer et al., 2019). Policies are usually made to improve people's lives. In healthcare, policies may aim to reduce care costs and make them accessible. For instance, policymakers may make insurance affordable and ensure that facilities are built in low-income neighborhoods. To measure the progress and outcomes, it may be important to determine how the policies affect the various social determinants. For instance, when health becomes affordable to people, it can be determined by measuring if poor people can access it after the policy.

In conclusion, social determinants are important because they determine pre-exposed people to various healthcare outcomes. Therefore, the determinants are important in the planning of public and clinical health to ensure that people get equitable care. After planning, it is usually important to evaluate the progress and the success of policies. Therefore, measuring how policies impact various determinants helps determine whether or not regulations and policies serve their purposes.

Social Determinants of Health-outline

Thesis statement: The existing social systems and aspects of their lives affect their health outcomes and their predisposition to health issues.

1. Introduction
2. One importance of social determinants is that they determine whether or not people can access healthcare and related services.

1. They include whether or not people have transport means and public safety, among others.
2. Factors like security may affect people's movement and therefore determine whether or not they will get care

3. Social factors may also determine the costs of care that people may have to incur and hence affect their care uptake.

1. In places where people cannot afford insurance, their health outcomes are likely to be poor

4. Social determinants should also be considered when planning.

1. For instance, the list may help planners know the strategies to use for various people based on how they score in the various factors (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2021).
2. They also have to plan for issues like culture and communication.
3. Public health is especially important in helping entire societies get better health outcomes

5. Social determinants may also be used to measure policy outcomes and show where disparities exist (Palmer et al., 2019).

1. For instance, policymakers may make insurance affordable and ensure that facilities are built in low-income neighborhoods.
2. For instance, when health becomes affordable to people, it can be determined by measuring if poor people can access it after the policy.

6. Conclusion