Health is of great significance to a person since it dictates the
individual's level of productivity. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), there are three determinants of health, which
include the physical environment, the social and economic environment,
and a person's behavior and characteristics.For starters, physical
environment influences the health of individuals in several ways.
Healthy workplaces, clean air, safe water, houses, roads, and
communities all are instrumental in bringing about good health. Studies
have shown that workplace environment plays a critical role in molding
one's health from several angles. It is true that employed persons are
usually healthier than their unemployed counterparts; nonetheless, it
has been proven that night shifts can bear adverse effects on bodily
functions. On the other hand, if the work environment is noisy or
stressful, workers get stressed up and find it hard to relax when they
are away from work, which often brings about sleeping difficulties.
Monotony of work is also not healthy for workers.
Additionally,
dirty, dangerous and noisy work can bear an emotional and physical
impact on workers that will lead to long-term complications. The
socio-economic environment also plays a critical role in determining the
health of individuals. Higher social status and income are linked to
better health. This fact is so because the richer one is, the greater
the access to better health facilities as one has the resources to spend
on such lavish amenities. Low levels of learning are associated with
lower self-confidence, more stress, and poor health. Social support
networks play an integral role in determining health. Greater support
from friends, communities and families often lead to better health.
Family beliefs, traditions, and customs all bear and impact on health:
thus, the need to keep an eye on them. The third factor that influences
health is a person's behavior and characteristics. Genetics plays a
fundamental role in determining the chances of developing certain
illnesses and lifespan in general, both of which are indicators of a
person's state of health.
Personal coping skills and behavior,
which entails keeping active, balanced eating, drinking, smoking, and
how we tackle life's challenges and stresses all impact health. It is,
therefore, critical to understand how to optimize the activities in a
person's life, which involves avoiding certain habits such as substance
abuse while engaging all the more in others such as physical exercise,
healthy eating, etc. Studies have shown that it is quite tough to alter
individual behavior. Though instances exist where a change of behavior
has been accomplished, the debate about the extent to which health can
be enhanced by targeting personal behavior is still ongoing. Many models
and theories have been formulated in an attempt to give a reason for
the health behaviors that are exhibited by various individuals.
One
of the major problems that promoters of public health encounter is the
failure of different people to follow advice on how to live healthy
lifestyles. It could be because of ignorance or the belief that health
is in large part determined by external factors. By increasing health
education and advice, these two problems can be solved, and more people
can start taking control of their lives. If such an initiative is taken,
then we are likely to have a more healthy population in just a few
weeks' time.
Article Source:
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