Introduction
The quality of people’s lives is determined not only by financial income and success rates but also by health. It is known that the combination of different living environments, including social, economic, and biological ones, can shape conditions that affect the quality of life. Such conditions are called social determinants of health, and they largely define how long a person will live. The purpose of this essay is to analyze interviews that have identified the leading health risk factors for the family members in question.
Description of the Social Determinants of Health
The social determinants of health shape the quality of people’s life. They influence human health through the environment in which an individual lives, from domestic well-being to the public health system model (Taylor et al., 2018). Negative environmental pressures can degrade health outcomes, so it is critical to identify the personal determinants of health in a timely fashion.
The family’s condition after the interview is assessed as satisfactory only if a doctor regularly sees the family. It is known that a person’s health depends mostly on his or her genetic predispositions since broken DNA fragments can be transmitted from parents to children (Notterman & Mitchell, 2015). The father of the family came from a family where men had a chronic predisposition to cardiovascular disease. This does not mean that the father will necessarily suffer a stroke or arrhythmia, but the likelihood of this outcome is increased. As an estate manager, the man experiences regular stress, which affects his heart (Bharmal, Derose, Felician, & Weden, 2015). Furthermore, the father has developed myopia related to his age.
The mother also has a genetic predisposition to the disease; in particular, it is type II diabetes mellitus. The condition is known to be caused by poor pancreatic function, so the woman needs to be as careful as possible about her diet (Li et al., 2016). Among other things, some health problems are observed in the daughter, who has low immunity. Since the parents have no predisposition to such a health feature of the immune system, it is most likely that the girl received it as a result of some illness brought on at an early age. The boy, according to the interview data, has no serious health problems other than minor allergic reactions.
Apart from the gene pool, lifestyle is a significant determinant of health for this family. Each of the family members stated that they did not have any severe health problems, but regularly experienced stress related to work and study. The importance of stress for family members is underestimated, as due to constant stress, the body will not be able to rest, contributing to the full development of hidden diseases. For normal functioning during the day, both the children and parents need a healthy zone, but according to the Assessment, the children, on average, sleep less than their parents by 1-2 hours. Also, the girl suffers from regular pressure from her classmates, which may lead to mental disorders and health problems in the future.
The social environment also plays an essential role in determining the quality of family members’ life. The parents, as members of the middle class, have access to annual vaccinations and examinations through the national insurance system. The same is true for their children, who attend public educational institutions. All of the above together form the social determinants of health, which play a decisive role in influencing the quality of each family member’s life.
Recommendations for Family Members
Due to the risks mentioned above, the each family member must undergo a compulsory medical examination for health conditions. Such measures have the advantage of detecting serious and sometimes incurable diseases at the formation stage (Li et al., 2016). The father needs to see an ophthalmologist so that the doctor can analyze the age trend of the father’s decline and, if found, prevent cataract or blindness in time. In addition, the man should check with the cardiologist several times a year to identify possible heart problems. The mother should make an appointment with an endocrinologist who will assess the quality of the pancreas and insulin secretion, as well as the nutritionist. It is known that a properly formulated diet reduces the risk of diabetes, and that is why the woman should be screened for healthy body weight (Li et al., 2016). Both parents, regardless of their health condition, have to undergo a medical examination for vital health indicators: blood pressure, body temperature, blood chemistry, and hormone levels.
The weakening of immunity is most often a negative impact on human health. The daughter should take a blood test to help determine the cause of reduced immunity (Bharmal et al., 2015). In case the deterioration of the body’s protective system is not related to biological health indicators, the girl should go to a psychologist who may be able to help her fight stress. The son does not suffer from health problems but has a direct genetic predisposition to the development of diabetes, heart disease, and exacerbating allergic reactions. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (2018), any teenager between the ages of 16 and 19 needs to be examined for tobacco and drug predisposition, tuberculosis, anemia, and lead, and fluoride. Also, any young person should be monitored regularly by an ophthalmologist and therapist.
Suitable Health Model
Of all existing models of health, the most characteristic for a given family would be a medical model describing health as the integration of physical, mental, and social factors. Satisfactory health implies that there are no apparent diseases or symptoms. The defined family is young and regularly engages in sports activities. By leading an active lifestyle, family members strengthen their immunity and delay the development of chronic diseases. Despite the absence of complaints, the family should undergo regular medical examinations. Because of the above, it can be noted that the family is healthy, the members do not have any severe health problems now. Still, as soon as there are the first signs of complications, they will urgently need to seek professional medical care.
Application of the Health Model for Family Members
Adults in the family, as an example for children, must demonstrate care for their health. This should begin with a full medical analysis to detect hidden or developing diseases. In addition, each family member should reconsider his or her attitude towards stress factors, spend more time on healthy sleep, and not overstretch work and study. Families claim to be happy because there is regular communication between parents and children. In general, adolescents at this age are particularly sensitive to interaction with adults, so parents should develop a communication strategy with adolescents to remain an authority for them, but not to have a negative impact. Moreover, although children receive most of the information from educational institutions and the Internet, parents should discuss issues of sex education and adult life.
Conclusion
Social determinants of health describe the conditions in which individuals live and how these conditions affect their quality of life. This essay discussed the determinants of family health based on a previous interview. It was found that parents have inherited predispositions that have the potential to cause relapse, and that children in the family are also susceptible to these diseases. All family members are regularly exposed to stress factors that can contribute to health complications. All interviewees need to undergo a medical examination that includes both biological and psychological analysis of their health indicators.
References
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2018). Bright futures/AAP recommendations for preventive pediatric health care (periodicity schedule). Web.
Bharmal, N., Derose, K. P., Felician, M., & Weden, M. M. (2015). Understanding the upstream social determinants of health. RAND Health, 1-18.
Li, V., McBurnie, M. A., Simon, M., Crawford, P., Leo, M., Rachman, F.,… & Weir, R. C. (2016). Impact of social determinants of health on patients with complex diabetes who are served by national safety-net health centers. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 29(3), 356-370.
Notterman, D. A., & Mitchell, C. (2015). Epigenetics and understanding the impact of social determinants of health. Pediatric Clinics, 62(5), 1227-1240.
Taylor, L. A., Tan, A. X., Coyle, C. E., Ndumele, C., Rogan, E., Canavan, M.,… & Bradley, E. H. (2016). Leveraging the social determinants of health: what works? PloS One, 11(8), 1-20.