Effects of Socioeconomic Influences on Health

 
Health and Social Care
Task 1
Effects of Socioeconomic Influences on Health
There is no denying the fact that socioeconomic factors are a major reason behind the
poor health outcomes. Previous researches suggest that individuals with lower socio-economic
status suffer inexplicably from various diseases, and as a result of this they have higher mortality
rates as compared to the people with good socio-economic status. Social and economic drivers
such as; education, social connectedness and income have a direct impact on the health. These
socio-economic factors strongly influence the health of an individual (Adler, & Ostrove, 1999).
An improvement in any of these factors can simply result in the improvement of both the health
behaviours and the economy outcomes of the individuals or groups living in a society.
It has been observed that people with low incomes, often lack access and resources to
health care , adequate housing, nutritious food, and working conditions all of these can have a
negative impact on their health. Along, with that they might also face some life and financial
stress, which in long term can have negative consequences over their health. They might have to
face issues such high blood pressure, circulatory and immune complications. Whereas, on the
other hand many studies revealed that people with adequate employment and income are more
likely to have positive health outcomes, because of the fact that they are less dependent on the
materialistic needs. Generally, the extent to which people have control over their circumstances
and life is related to how healthy they are. High level of stress, along with lack of skills, social 
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support, and resources might lead towards poor health behaviours, and less healthy coping skills
such as smoking, and unhealthy eating habits.
The structure of society can also influence the health of an individual through the factors
such as distribution of goods and resources. Previous researches revealed that the populations in
which these resources are shared equally have a positive impact on their health. Activities such
as providing social support and cultural connections can provide an individual protection against
various health related issues (Braveman et.al, 2005). Research reveals that adults today have to
face various challenges such as; obesity, criminality, literacy, and other mental health issues.
These issues can be resolved by providing them with an environment that is supportive, and
stimulating during the first six years of their life. All of these factors can have a positive
influence on the health and lifestyle of an individual and at the same time allow them to mitigate
poor health outcomes in the future.
Relevance of Government Sources in Reporting on Inequalities in Health
In United Kingdom health inequalities are defined as the structural and systematic
differences in the health status among the social groups living within the population. Health
inequality is closely associated with the social determinants of health, due to the multiple
influences that it have on health status, which includes various factors such as; education, diet,
housing, employment, diet, and the socio-economic status (Marmot, 2005). The United
Kingdom’s government sources are highly relevant in reporting the inequalities in health. The
United Kingdom tackles the issue of health inequalities with the help of two The Acheson report;
the report with the help of weighing scientific evidence supports a socio-economic explanation
of health inequalities inside United Kingdom (Mitchell, & Popham, 2008). The model that is 
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followed by the report is based on various layers which includes; socio-economic environment
and lifestyle of the individuals. The report briefly addresses the social determinants such as;
education, poverty, transport, housing, employment, ethnicity, gender, health care and life
course. Thus, it could be said that health inequalities are now on the policy agenda of the
government of UK (Shaw, 1999). The Acheson Report has helped the government to raise the
profile of health inequalities across the government and at the same time has enabled the
government to identify some pitfalls. Some of the pitfalls that are still present in-front of the
government includes; negligible proof of effective interventions, poor integration mechanism for
the implementation of health inequality in the mainstream, along, with that there is also limited
amount of evidence on the outcomes.
In order to cope up with these issues the Acheson report has made the following
recommendations:
1. All the relevant policies that are expected to have an impact over the health of the
individuals should be evaluated in terms of the impact that they had on the health
inequalities.
2. High priority should be given to the policies related to the health of children and their
families.
3. There is an urgent need