User:RoxanneLIS/Social determinants of health

Lead
[insert after citation 4] Some commonly accepted social determinants include gender, race, economics, employment. though there is debate about which are most important. Health disparities exist in countries around the world. There are various theoretical approaches to social determinants, including the life-course perspective. Chronic stress, which is experienced more frequently by those living with adverse social and economic conditions, has been linked to poor health outcomes. Various interventions have been made to improve health conditions worldwide, although measuring the efficacy of such interventions is difficult. Social determinants are important considerations within clinical settings. Public policy has shaped and continues to shape social determinants of health.

[Start third paragraph, replacing "Issues of particular focus" with:] Related topics [are...]

Article body
Within the Heading "Historical Development," part of the second paragraph is problematic:

''This report identified two broad areas of social determinants of health that needed to be addressed. The first area was daily living conditions, which included healthy physical environments, fair employment, and decent work, social protection across the lifespan, and access to health care. The second major area was distribution of power, money, and resources, including equity in health programs, public financing of action on the social determinants, economic inequalities, resource depletion, healthy working conditions, gender equity, political empowerment, and a balance of power and prosperity of nations. ''

I found the report referenced (Closing the Gap in a Generation) and it identifies three major areas of focus, not two, and description of the second major area that appears in the article is problematic. I'd like to rewrite it:

'''This report made three broad recommendations regarding social determinants of health that needed to be addressed. The first imperative was to improve daily living conditions, including work and home physical environments, early childhood development and education, and social protection across the lifespan. The second recommendation was to disrupt the distribution of power, money, and resources, including social inequities such as gender disparities; this recommendation involves a more active role on the part of government. Third, the report calls for a global acknowledgement of the problem so as to take its full measure, as well as assess the impact of any planned interventions. '''

Under the Heading "Economics" I plan to add some material.

First, I would move the final paragraph, "Maintenance of good health..." to become the new second paragraph.

The current second paragraph, about employment, would become third. I would plan to add a bit of material here but I know the other student editor is working on this determinant, so I'll let that one be.

I plan to follow that one with two additional paragraphs, the first to discuss housing, and one after that to discuss food access and security.

In a 2020 housing study in which millions of court records on renter evictions were analyzed, the evidence on racial and gender demographics were dramatic. '''Black and Latinx tenants experienced significantly higher eviction rates than their white counterparts. And housing instability plays a critical role in health outcomes: when families have to spend a disproportionately high percentage of income (30% or more) on housing, there are insufficient funds remaining for essentials such as healthy foods, consistent health care, and medications.''' Racial disparities in eviction rates correspond to negative health outcomes, including depression.

Food security means consistent availability and affordability of food that promotes well-being and prevents disease. Food insecurity increases in neighborhoods where access to healthy food is limited because of travel distance to supermarkets and lack of transportation. Families living in poverty struggle with consistent access to sufficient healthy food, and suffer negative health outcomes as a result; food insecurity has been demonstrated to correlate with many health issues, including chronic disease and obesity. ''' '''

The following quotation is not found in the cited source: "In the United States, 1 in 10 people live poverty, and many people cannot afford things like healthy foods, health care, and housing."