Determinants of health: behaviors, economics, and social structure

¶ … health affected behaviors, economics, social structure. 2. Describe stages medical technology development. 3. Describe major trends population demographics past 80 years. 4. Describe important trends mortality past century.

How health is affected by behaviors, economics, and social structure

Health is affected by various factors. These are known as the determinants of health. Behavior in the health context refers to how people engage in various activities that maintain their health and prevent diseases. Uchino, Uno, & Holt-Lunstad, 1999()

Therefore, health is extremely important in the maintenance of a good health status as well as in the prevention of disease. A good example is in heart disease, lung cancer and stroke which have risk factors that relate to the patient's behavior. For example, for lung cancer, smoking is a risk factor. Therefore, the behavior of the individual regarding smoking or living around smokers increases the risk of contracting lung cancer. For heart disease and stroke, the risk factor is eating foods that are high in fat. Therefore, the individual should eat a more balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables to prevent heart disease. The individual should also consider keeping physically fit in order to steer away from the risk factors of heart disease and stroke. Therefore, the behavior of the individual, others surrounding the individual and health care providers can help in improving the health of the individual. Therefore, behavior is an important determinant of health.

Regarding economics, the financial status of an individual influences the quality of health care that they receive. For example, in the U.S., the insured individuals have access to high quality health care while the uninsured population has to result to lower quality because they cannot afford to pay for more expensive health care options Hurley, 2001.

Additionally, the economic status of a country affects the delivery of health care since delivery of health care is primarily a government responsibility and where the government is unable to finance healthcare, the quality of health provided will be low Connelly, 2004()

Social structure also affects health since it contributes risk factors for some diseases or conditions. For example, overcrowding is a risk factor of tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases. Social structure also affects health since it defines the health seeking behavior of the individuals in the society Uchino et al., 1999.

Some religions, for example, do not believe in seeking health care from hospitals and doctors.

Three stages of medical technology development

The three stages of development of medical technology are the scientific background and development of the idea for the product, development, approval and distribution of the product and diffusion, adoption and utilization of the product. In the first stage, there is building the need for the product and developing the concept of the product. This basically involves finding out what the product to be developed is expected to achieve and how it will achieve this. This is an important step since it guides the direction that the other stages take. If the product is not properly conceptualized, there is the risk of not achieving the desired objectives of the development program. Also, there is the risk of veering off the development route.

The second stage is whereby the product is actually developed using the right scientific methods and technology. After the product is developed, it needs to be tested and approved by the relevant body. Depending on the product, the time and type of testing that needs to be done varies. Some products need clinical testing such as drugs and machines while others need only basic testing in the laboratory. In the U.S., drugs and chemical substances are approved by the FDA (Food and drugs administration). The FDA received applications for approval after which it thoroughly tests the products for a lengthy amount of time before giving the manufacturer the green light to continue with mass production and distribution.

The last stage is the diffusion of the product, adoption and utilization. This involves the marketing of the product to the target market as well as other promotional activities that create awareness of the product in order to increase its acceptability and usage.

Most important trends in mortality over the past century

Recent trends in mortality have been a major concern which had led to huge bodies of research on this particular subject. The mortality rate has been declining over the first 8 decades of the 20th century. Deaths from infectious disease were about 797 per 100,000 in the 1900s while in 1980, deaths stood at 36 per 10,000. However, from the year 1981 till 1995, the mortality rate has been on an increase. In the year 1995, the deaths from infectious diseases were 63 per 100,000. However, they decreased in 1996 to 59 deaths per 100,000 Armstrong, Conn, & Pinner, 1999.

There was also a considerable variation in the mortality rate among the youngest and oldest age groups from one year to the other in the century.

The reason for the decline during the first 8 decades of the 20th century was as a result of eradication and control of some of the fatal diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, small pox and influenza. Although most of the century has been marked with decline in mortality rates, it is important to place emphasis on the dynamic nature of diseases and particular those that are infectious. This will help to improve the preparedness and response time for the diseases in order to prevent and control them.