W4 - Living and Working Conditions (PDF)

W4 - living and working conditions Monday, 25 March 2024 8:32 am To improve the health of individuals, communities and populations, we need to focus on living and working conditions, food supply and access to essential goods and services like education and health care. The living and working conditi...

W4 - living and working conditions Monday, 25 March 2024 8:32 am To improve the health of individuals, communities and populations, we need to focus on living and working conditions, food supply and access to essential goods and services like education and health care. The living and working conditions: The material and social conditions in which people live, wok and play include: - Housing - Unemployment - Work - Healthcare services - Education - Agriculture and food production - Water and sanitation The social conditions in which people live, work and play are also referred to as the social determinants of health (SDoH) The societal factors (socioeconomic, cultural and environmental) both advantage and disadvantage people trough their living and working conditions. These living and working conditions both directly and indirectly influence the health and wellbeing by shaping access to resources, social and community networks and lifestyle risk factors. The working conditions within Australia: Housing: A house that is appropriate, affordable and secure is important for living a healthy life - Housing and its surrounding environment allow for individuals to take care of their basic needs. Means shelter for a fair price impacts: ○ Home ownership has been associated with lower rates of mortaility ○ Overcrowded homes can lead to more transmission of respiratory and other illnesses due to poor ventilation ○ High housing cost will limit the resources available for support for individuals Unemployment: Provides individuals with income but also social identity and structure of daily life impacts: ○ The stress induced by unemployment ○ Suffer a higher risk of premature death ○ Can start from job insecurity (when a person feels their job is a threat) Work: work dimensions that shape health outcomes include - employment security - physical conditions at work - work pace and stress - working hours - opportunities for self-expression and individual development at work. impacts: ○ High stress jobs predispose individuals to high blood pressure, CVD's and development of physical and psychological difficulties eg depression ○ Workplaces can also promote health and wellbeing through an increased positive sense of identity and social interaction ect Healthcare services: We come in contact with the healthcare system often eg doctor, dentist, going to the hospital - Australia's universal healthcare system is Medicare Education: Has a direct effect on people who choose to undergo education and affects the Healthcare services: We come in contact with the healthcare system often eg doctor, dentist, going to the hospital - Australia's universal healthcare system is Medicare Education: Has a direct effect on people who choose to undergo education and affects the choices. They can make in the future - The more years someone spends in school the more likely they are to experience good health throughout life. impacts: ○ Educated people are less likely to smoke ○ Educated people have greater physical functioning ○ Reduces the needs of healthcare ○ An essential element of health literacy Agriculture and food production: Agricultural policies affect the quality, quantity, price and availability of food. - Food security is when all people have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food. impact: ○ Excess intake contributes to CVD, diabetes, cancer, obesity and dental caries ○ Food insecurity can result from low or unstable employment , poor food supply, illness and financial pressures ○ Poor quality of foods due to insecure households (eg high in fat and sugar) ○ Increased risk of chronic conditions including diabetes and hypertension Water and sanitation: WaSH - water and sanitation hygiene Australia take for granted not realising that 100 million people still don’t have a household connection to drinking water and no access to improved sanitation and safe means is dispose of human faeces