13-09-2012, 03:27 PM
Social Determinants of Health : A Geographical Comparison of Highland, Midland and Coastal Area
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INTRODUCTION
From the definition, it’s understood, health is a multifactorial concept. It means there are Biological, Psychological, and Social as well environmental factors behind the occurrence of every disease. But of these, importance is given to Biological aspects, precisely to curative services. The hiking price required for treatment, medications etc make the condition much worse. Even though all comments Prevention is better than cure, situation remains as like, prevention is ignored by majority of the population. It’s evident that Non Communicable Diseases are ever-increasing in India. An article from The Lancet, one of the leading high impact health journals states, India will bear 60% of the world's heart disease burden in the next two years [2008-2010].
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
An understanding of health is the basis of all healthcares. It is one term which most of the people find it difficult to define. Many definitions have been offered from time to time, include the following.
- The condition of being sound in body, mind or spirit, especially freedom from physical disease or pain (Webster).
- Soundness of body or mind, that condition in which its functions are duly and efficiently discharged (Oxford English Dictionary).
DEFINITION
The widely accepted definition of health is that given by the World Health Organization (1948) in the preamble to its constitution. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity”. In spite of the limitations the concept of health defined by WHO is broad and positive in its implications.
In a narrow sense, Health means, a) there is no obvious evidence of disease that a person is functioning normally. b) The several organs of the body are functioning adequately in themselves and in relation to one another, which implies a kind of equilibrium or homeostasis- a condition relatively stable but which may vary as human beings adapted to internal and external stimuli.
PERSPECTIVES ON HEALTH
The concept of health was viewed from various perspectives over time. Some of them are analyzed in this chapter.
1. BIOMEDICAL OR PROVIDER’S PERSPECTIVE
In this perspective, health is, basically a function of absence of morbidity and mortality is itself a function of risk, availability of medicine and diet. Risk itself is a function of socio- economic status, family size and environmental factors.
Health: f (morbidity)
Morbidity: g (risks, medicine, diet)
Risk: h (socio- economic status, family size, environmental status.)
2. WOMEN’S PERSPECTIVE.
Among women the concept of health is functional, while the concept of illness is substantive. Women talk about health as a condition in which they can do their work well. Illness is a condition in which they have to meet doctor. They may look depressed also. Health also implies for them, a state of happiness, lack of worries about money and children, and peace with oneself and others. For them Health is social while, illness is physical.
3. MINORITY PERSPECTIVE
No studies are available about how members of cultural and religious minorities views health. Still it is observed that, some system of medicine is traditionally associated with some communities. For e.g. sections of Muslims prefer Yunani treatment. Likewise its mentioned that only minority of Hindus believes in Ayurvedic medicine and maybe it seem to have link with the Vedic wisdom. Author concludes that, minority are more likely to hold traditional beliefs. (Sharma, 1996)
4. CORPORATE PERSPECTIVE
Corporate organizations benefit from health. If workers are healthy they are motivated and happy. They provide health benefits to their workers. The author doubts the situations when majority of the employees are old and affected by diseases, how the organization will consider them. How the fellow workers react to these disease conditions. Author says all these needs answers that is available only from research.