KMbeing

Knowledge Mobilization (KMb): Multiple Contributions & Multi-Production Of New Knowledge

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Social Determinants of Health Explained

2 Comments Posted by KMbeing on January 31, 2013

As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, including the influences of health systems. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels. The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities – the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries.

Social determinants of health can be divided into 12 categories that contribute to how healthy a person may or may not be.

1) Income and Social Status:

Generally, people are healthier when they are wealthier. Individuals with lower socio-economic status experience worse health outcomes than individuals with higher socio-economic status.
Income shapes living conditions, such as adequate housing and ability to buy sufficient quality food. When people have little control over their lives and few options, their bodies are more vulnerable to disease. Income also influences psychological functioning and health-related behaviours.

2) Education and literacy:

Education is closely tied to income and socio-economic status. People with higher levels of education tend to use preventative medical services more frequently, be more physically active, and generally have better health.
Low literacy has a negative effect on all aspects of health, including overall levels of life expectancy, accidents and chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Low literacy also has a negative impact on mental health and on the ability to prevent illness.

3) Employment/Working conditions:

Employment allows people to afford basic necessities such as appropriate housing, food, and clothing—all of which are essential for good health. Employment also provides a sense of identity and purpose, social contacts and an opportunity for personal growth.
Conditions at work can have a significant effect on people’s health and emotional well-being.

4) Social environments:

Social environments include immediate physical surroundings, social relationships and cultural environments within which groups of people function and interact.
Negative social environments and experiences of discrimination and homophobia is associated with high rates of suicide attempts by lesbian, gay and bisexual youth.
Positive social environments include elements such as safety and social stability, recognition of diversity, good working relationships and cohesive communities, and help reduce or avoid many potential risks to good health.

5) Physical Environments:

Exposure to contaminants in our air, water, food and soil can cause a variety of adverse health effects, including cancer, birth defects, respiratory illness and gastrointestinal ailments.
Factors related to housing, indoor air quality and the design of communities and transportation systems can also significantly influence people’s physical and psychological well-being.

6) Personal health practices and coping skills:

Personal health practices and coping skills refer to actions that individuals can take to prevent diseases and promote self-care, cope with challenges, develop self-reliance, solve problems, and make choices that enhance personal health.
Making personal health choices about such things as smoking, alcohol consumption, high fat diets, and regular dental health care all influence personal health.

7) Healthy child development:

The effects of early childhood experiences have strong immediate and longer-lasting biological, psychological and social effects upon health.
The quality of early childhood development is largely influenced by the economic and social resources available to parents.
Children living under conditions of material and social deprivation are at higher risk of health problems.

8) Biology and genetic endowment:

In some circumstances, genetic and biological factors appears to predispose certain individuals to particular diseases or health problems.
Examples of biological and genetic determinants of health include:
age—older adults are more likely to be in poorer health than adolescents due to the effects of aging
sex—women are at risk of pregnancy and birth-related health problems
inherited conditions—examples of inherited disease include sickle-cell anemia, hemophilia and cystic fibrosis
abnormal genes—carrying certain genes increases a person’s risk for breast and ovarian cancer

9) Health services:

One of the most crucial determinants of health is access to high-quality health services.
Men and women from higher income households who are more likely to have insurance are much more likely to self-report that they have visited a dentist within the past year than people with lower incomes.
Populations who are underserved by health services include Aboriginal People, members of the LGBTTIQcommunity, refugees and other immigrants, ethnically or racially diverse populations, people with disabilities, the homeless, sex trade workers and people with low incomes.

10) Gender:

Gender-based differences—in access to or control over resources, in power or decision making, and in roles and responsibilities—have implications for a person’s health status.
Research shows that women live longer than men, on average. Women have higher death rates, but men are more prone to accidents and also more likely to be perpetrators and victims of assault, reducing their overall life expectancy.

11) Culture:

Some individuals or groups may face additional health risks as a result of a socio-economic environment that is largely determined by dominant cultural values. These dominant values can contribute to conditions such as marginalization, stigmatization, the loss or devaluation of language and culture, and a lack of culturally appropriate health care and services.
Members of racialized groups, recent immigrants and Aboriginal People are often among the most marginalized groups in society.

12) Social support networks:

Evidence shows that support from families, friends and communities is a big contributor to better health.
The caring and respect that occurs in social relationships, and the resulting sense of satisfaction and well-being, seem to act as a buffer against health problems.
Racism is a prominent form of social exclusion. The experience of racial discrimination puts racialized groups at higher risk for physical and mental health concerns.

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Knowledge After Death

Leave a Comment Posted by KMbeing on April 19, 2012

Sometimes I get sad when I think about the inevitable fact that I will die someday. After all, it’s difficult for many of us to imagine the world without us in it! I don’t know when or how I will die, but the truth of the matter is that one day I will die. I ask myself, what will I have left behind to make the world a better place? Hopefully, it will be the knowledge I have shared with others from the knowledge I have learned from others.

I have had an interesting and non-traditional life with a very different career trajectory. As many people do, I look back on the good and the bad with some regrets, but more so, I look back with happiness. I’ve made mistakes – and learned from my mistakes; then again, I have also had an opportunity to share knowledge with others to make life better and create social benefit – not as some important or influential academic, politician or celebrity, but simply as a human being who cares about others in my everyday life.

Yet, as Jann Arden sings the question that all of us wonder, “Will you remember me when I’m gone?” Will the people who will be on this planet long after we’re gone remember us – and if so, what will they remember us for?

Each of our lives are definitely able to touch those of other people, and it’s possible for us to contribute to the knowledge of the coming years by helping others to realize the importance of sharing knowledge today without worrying about how “insignificant” or unnoticeable our particular knowledge contributions are. It’s not important whether we make a huge difference or not – but it is important whether we share knowledge or not with the intention of making the world a better place.

Each of us has knowledge to contribute to make the world a better place, and the scale doesn’t matter. Our lives are full of the potential to share and to help. Just by sharing your own knowledge about something from your own life experience that can make a difference to the quality of someone else’s life can then be passed on to someone else…and so on and so on…eventually creating new knowledge years from now for many people. And by being open to the knowledge of others and learning something new makes a difference that can also be shared and passed on to someone else.

Such knowledge may give further knowledge, combined knowledge, to many people years from now – and it’s not important if we know the results or if we don’t. When we learn the significance of individual knowledge sharing, we begin to discover the meaning of human life to connect with others and make the world a better place. The way we live each day may not seem to influence humanity on this planet, but how we share our knowledge with the web of relationships that connects all of us does. We all have the power to affect others through the knowledge we share. We can affect those we know and those we don’t know in the world today – and in the future. Without our knowing, we may influence the lives of others in the future simply by sharing knowledge to make the world a better place today.

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Today’s Knowledge Inspiration: Knowledge & Death

Leave a Comment Posted by KMbeing on June 21, 2011

Many people are so determined to selfishly get what they want in life that they miss out on many knowledge lessons that could be learned from life’s experiences within AND beyond our own little corners of the world. There are many cancer or terminally-ill patients who discover that the last year or months of their lives have become their best. There are many victims of war or famine or violence or abuse that can teach us so much. These individuals often say they have learned more knowledge about life during these times than they might have – and many are eager to share this knowledge. There are plenty of poignant examples on the Internet where people have shared their knowledge and experiences while also being encouraged and comforted – thanks to the use of social media. How often do we take the time to learn life’s valuable knowledge lessons from such circumstances?

Why is it only when tragedy strikes that most of us begin to understand the importance of sharing individual knowledge – or even looking at our own lives more closely to see examples of our own knowledge? There’s a whole world of diverse knowledge waiting to be explored and contributed to if we only take a closer look – especially sharing knowledge using social media. It’s seems only when we start to go beyond the minor concerns that often seem so “major” to us- our looks, our wealth, our jobs, our comforts – that we then only start to discover what’s really important for every person on this earth. We can begin to understand how we can use our own knowledge to make the world better – each person at a time – if we learn from the tragedies of life as well. Why is it some of us – selfishly – never do?

We are all going to die one day – and there are many people in this world dying everyday, every moment, every second. Inevitably – one of those people dying will be someone close to you that you care about or love. I remind myself of this quite often – usually when I don’t take important opportunities to share knowledge with others or ask about the knowledge and unique experiences they feel they can share with the world to make it a better place.

Taking deeper moments to share knowledge with others are the most important moments we can have – yet we far too often avoid them or ignore them because we always think we have “more important things to do”. The world and everyone in it is important – all we have to do is listen and share our knowledge with each other to make it better before we die.

What knowledge would you share if you knew that you were going to die tomorrow?

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