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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The “Growth” of Knowledge Mobilization (KMb)

8 Comments Posted by KMbeing on February 19, 2011

Unfortunately, I have been ill with a bacterial infection – and am actually writing this blog while in hospital this past week. There’s definitely something wrong with me – and not just for writing a blog from a hospital bed. To put it bluntly, my neck has a golf ball size lump that medical teams, blood work and CT scans are still trying to figure out.

As I sit writing this with an i.v. drip hooked in my arm, I debated whether I should even write a blog (or even share my personal information). But as anyone who has ever stayed in a hospital can tell you, there’s plenty of time on your hands as you start feeling better, (yet aren’t quite ready to be released). I also owe something to my regular KMbeing blog readers, Twitter followers (@KMbeing), colleagues and supporters who might be wondering “what’s up?” with a lack of recent posts or contact. The good news is my doctors expect me to be released for further home recovery within a couple more days where I’ll continue using antibacterial medication with the hope that the golf ball in my neck continues to get smaller.

(This is my CT scan with my chin at the top. On the upper-right is my normal jaw line and on the upper left is my growth)

While in hospital, I’m still thinking about my work in Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) – particularly on a more personal level – not on my usual professional level as a Digital Researcher. As I interact daily with the daily rounds of how everyone here in the hospital seems to communicate – informing and being informed from many directions about how to improve my medical issue – I again see how KMb is more than just knowledge dissemination. KMb is multi-directional and multi-layered. It has a personal level and a professional level. KMb is not just about providing or exchanging information. KMb is about contributing personal knowledge to a range of people who also contribute collaboratively with the end result creating benefit or improvement.

Doctors, nurses, radiologists, medical students, and even other patients all contribute individually to a collective knowledge process personally and professionally. Personally, it’s important for me as a patient (or any patient) to learn from them to help me (or anyone) get better. Professionally, it’s also important for them to learn from the experiences of individual patients to provide better care for other patients and provide overall benefit to the greater medical profession. By providing and receiving a variety of inputs of knowledge (including abilities, experience, and stories) – not just information – improvement is made by health care teams both personally and professionally.

I have questioned and have been questioned by health care workers and other patients. I have listened to and have been listened to by a variety of hospital staff and other illness sufferers.

This isn’t just due to my illness. I have always been a person curious about many things, asking questions, enjoying learning from the experiences of others, and teaching from my own. As my illness has progressed and runs its course, I’ve learned much about bacterial infections and the process of treatment that I never realized before.

In the end, this is probably the most personal KMbeing blog I will write. However, I feel and think it’s important to look inside AND outside our individual knowledge boxes. We need to unpack a few personal things on our professional desks and let everyone see, contribute to, and take away from. Then, the final improvement is not only on a personal level (my own health improvement), but also on the greater scale of social improvement through the growth of knowledge mobilization. (Ah-hum…pun intended).

Uncategorized bacterial infection, health, hospitalization, illness, KMb, knowledge mobilization

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Tag Archives: illness

The “Growth” of Knowledge Mobilization (KMb)

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