Sample SHI104 Sociology of Health and Illness Assignment

SHI104 Sociology of Health and Illness Assignment Sample

Assignment details

Individual/Group Individual
Length 2,000 words (+/- 10%)

Your report should cover the following:

1. Choose 4 social and environmental determinants of health from the listing below, and explain how they may influence your chosen health issue from the video case study used in Assessment 1 and 2 (i.e. Video 1: David - hypertension, Video 2: Rhonda – diabetes and Video 3: Theo – depression).

• social gradient
• poverty and deprivation
• where you live (housing and neighbourhood)
• education
• environment (climate, pollution, sanitation)
• employment status (and conditions of employment)
• transport,
• early childhood life
• personal health strategies
• social support and exclusion
• food
• health systems
• gender and violence

1. Describe examples of ways in which to engage and empower the community and increase health literacy on the health issue presented in your chosen case study video. Consider what communication and cultural issues need to be considered?

2. What impact on a nurse might there be when working with this health population and what self-care strategies could be employed to maintain own well-being and model self- care?

Please note: this report should contain an introduction, body and conclusion (see below for further information on writing reports).

Referencing:

It is essential that you use appropriate APA style for citing and referencing research. Please see more information on referencing here https://library.laureate.net.au/research_skills/referencing

• Assessments cannot be emailed directly to the lecturer.

• If you are late with your assessment submission, you need to follow the late assessment procedure relevant to your campus.

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Solution

Introduction

The socioeconomic, environmental, demographic, as well as cultural elements that affect people's daily lives and places of employment are all considered social and environmental predictors of health, along with the health system (Who.int, 2022). In this context, for assignment help a comprehensive discussion would be done where the social determinants of health would be related to the case study of David, Rhonda and Theo.

Discussion:

Social determinants of health and depression

It has been seen that health of individuals in a society is significantly associated with social determinants of health. It has been seen that the social determinants of health might contribute largely and directly impact on physical and mental health of population, well-being of them and the SDOH might include safe areas, transportation, and housing, racial bias, prejudice, violence, education, employment prospects, and income, possibilities for engaging in physical exercise and access to healthy meals, contaminated water and air as well as reading and language abilities (Health.gov, 2022). In this context, the social and environmental determinants which would be focused are poverty and deprivation, education, social support and exclusion, as well as gender and violence that are directly related to the case studies.

The first determinant is the poverty. Globally, there is a direct correlation between poverty and unhealthy lifestyles. The health of individuals is at danger due to inadequate nourishment, overcrowding, a lack of clean water, and other severe conditions. In addition, being sick makes it more difficult to work and puts families in a tough financial situation while trying to pay for medical expenses (Braveman & Gottlieb, 2014). Diseases that afflict the broader populace, such as mental problems, can affect persons living in poverty at a far greater incidence. The same is true with depression. Although depression may affect everyone, regardless of socioeconomic level, poverty exacerbates the condition and makes it more difficult for a person to get the proper medical care. However, if the aspects of poverty that fuel sadness are lessened, then fewer people should experience depression.

The following SDOH is education, which plays a significant influence in health through influencing possibilities, employment, and income, which are all substantially correlated with average lifespan, morbidity, and lifestyle factors (Adler et al., 2016). Teenagers who struggle with depression grow social phobias as a result of social contact, which can happen in a school environment. Depression in adolescents causes a feeling of numbness that makes them fear social interaction and failure. Having less education increases your likelihood of developing depressed symptoms.

The following factor is social exclusion that refers to social disadvantage and a lack of opportunities, resources, involvement, and skills that significantly affect the health condition of the patients and lead to development of acute or chronic diseases (Braveman & Gottlieb, 2014). In hierarchical multiple regression, social exclusion characteristics such as lower income sufficiency, unfavorable living conditions, and loneliness substantially linked with higher depressed symptoms after controlling for demographic and health factors.

Lastly, gender and violence are major determinants as females often experience discrimination in accessing the health and other services compared to males and more prevalently experience violence that largely affect their mental health condition. After puberty, girls are more likely than boys to experience depression. Girls are more prone than males to experience depression at a younger age since they generally hit puberty sooner. There is data that suggests the gender discrepancy in depression may persist throughout the course of a person's life. Some girls' risk of experiencing depression may rise when they enter puberty due to hormonal changes. One of the most pervasive societal problems in the world is domestic violence. It causes a number of issues in society, including those related to lifestyle, physical health, family, children, and even mental health. In actuality, there is a strong correlation between domestic violence and depression.

Methods to engage and empower community and increase health literacy about depression

Individual health education

Doctors and nurses have many possibilities for individualized health education since they have daily interaction with patients and their families. The subject chosen must be appropriate for the circumstance. For example, a woman who is seeking treatment for depression should be informed about depression and its effects rather than malaria (Hurley et al., 2020). The ability to debate, argue, and persuade the individual to alter his behaviour is the primary benefit of individual health instruction. The fact that we only reach tiny numbers is a drawback.

Group health education

There are several groups at whom we might target health education, including moms, students, patients, and industrial employees. In group health education, the topic selection is crucial and must closely correspond to the group's interests. For instance, mothers of teenagers might learn about the causes, signs, and situations that can lead to depression in children; school children might learn about sexual abuse that can result in mental illness and depression; a group of patients might learn about mental health that can lead to depression as a result of chronic illness; and industrial workers might learn about work-life balance and burnout (Morrison et al., 2019).

Group discussions are regarded as a very effective teaching strategy for health as a part of group health education. It is a “tow-way technique” of instruction (Zhou et al., 2019). By exchanging ideas and experiences, people grow. The group should consist of at least 6 and no more than 12 persons in order to be effective. A group leader should be present who introduces the topic, guides the talk in the right direction, stops side discussions, motivates everyone to engage, and wraps up the discussion.

Lectures from doctors to a mass population of institution

The most common format for teaching about health is lectures. The majority of the communication in this is one-way, meaning that the individuals are only passive listeners and are not actively engaging in the learning process. The speaker's personality and reputation will have an impact on how impressive and successful the speech is (Tay et al., 2018). A lecture does convey the fundamental knowledge on the matter, but it might not succeed in altering peoples' attitudes toward their health. Nevertheless, lectures play a significant role in small group health education.

Workshop

There are several meetings that make up the Workshop. Small groups will be formed for the duration of the session, and each group will elect a chairman and a recorder. With the assistance of resource employees and experts, each group resolves a portion of the issue. Under the direction of experts, learning takes place in a welcoming, joyful, and democratic environment.

Education for mass approach

The health care professionals can use "mass mediums of communication" such as posters, health periodicals, movies, radio, television, health exhibitions, and museums to educate the general public. In general, group or individual tactics are more effective in changing people's behaviour than mass media (Liu et al., 2020). However, they are really helpful in connecting with a lot of individuals who may otherwise be out of reach. Media should be utilized in conjunction with other strategies for health education to be effective.

Communication and cultural issues associated with health literacy

A common communication challenge for people and their healthcare professionals is inadequate health literacy. Ineffective decision-making, non-adherence, negative results, and a loss of confidence in the medical community can all be caused by patients' incapacity to adequately absorb, process, comprehend, and act on health information (McQuaid & Landier, 2018). Inadequate health literacy can also result in patient expectations being misunderstood and managed incorrectly, increasing the liability risk for healthcare professionals.

Speaking simply, avoiding jargon, using terms that patients understand, decreasing repetition and ambiguity, and other tactics are frequently used as strategies for increasing health literacy. Even while these tactics are essential, cultural competency, another important component of effective communication, is occasionally disregarded.

Although cultural competency and health literacy are occasionally seen as distinct concerns, a patient's views, values, and experiences may greatly affect how they interpret and comprehend health information, which in turn affects their level of health literacy. Furthermore, cultural variations between patients and clinicians can cause misunderstandings, interpersonal problems, divergent opinions about health issues and treatments, and poor results, just as low health literacy does.
Impact on nurses while working with patient with depression

The provision of safe and high-quality treatment and the retention of healthcare workers are both impacted by the workplace environment. Professional settings may have an impact on nurse satisfaction and retention, care quality, and patient safety. When compared to mental health nurses working in the community, institutional nurses had a more unfavorable perception of the workplace. When nurses work in mental facilities, there are decreased perceptions of job motivation, leadership, and autonomy. As a result, it is probable that using an appropriate model for problem-solving and making decisions, such the nursing process, will help RNs recognize depressive symptoms and/or depression (Kim et al., 2021).

Self-care related to depression

The more the patient neglects their own needs and self-care, such as obtaining enough rest, eating wholesome meals, and relaxing, the more likely the symptoms of depression are to worsen. Although the patient may wish to speak with a mental health professional for support and treatment choices, a healthy self-care practice can also assist the patient manage day-to-day living. Depression may be difficult to manage, particularly if the patient is plagued by gloomy, pessimistic thoughts. The patient could feel guilty, unworthy, despondent, and unable to change their mental condition (lovino et al., 2020). That is normal. However, the patient might be able to rewrite or replace these ideas with more uplifting ones rather than just ignoring them. The patient may find it difficult to care about anything at all when the people, places, or things that used to make them happy no longer seem appealing. Self-care may become more challenging as a result.

Giving oneself the chance to try something novel, though, could be the secret to reviving interest in the patient's life.

Conclusion

Social determinants of health might contribute largely and directly impact on physical and mental health of population, well-being of them. In this study, the assessment was done on the basis of three patients David, Rhonda and Theo and the factors that has been associated with the patients are: poverty and deprivation, education, social support and exclusion, as well as gender and violence.

Reference