Social Determinants Of Health Essay

The variety of factors contributing to the health of individuals and populations are known as the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). These determinants include childhood development and physical environment, both of which play a strong role in health. By understanding how SDOH can impact a client’s ability to achieve health, the nurse can recognize how factors such as education and childhood development influence a community. When addressing these determinants, it is critical to acknowledge the intersectionality of all SDOH and how they impact one another. The SDOH with the biggest impact on both clients and populations is childhood development because of the inter-relationship to other determinants: education opportunities, associated …show more content…
Development during childhood is both determined and influenced by a myriad of factors, such as the parent’s education level and education opportunities. The parent’s education level may lead to a belief that education isn’t valuable or inability to assist with schoolwork, which can influence the child’s education. The education opportunities that are available during childhood are critical components to healthy development: school is where children live and play and begin to develop knowledge on healthy living. A child’s developmental stage can affect school readiness and this lack of preparedness can lead to poor health literacy. Furthermore, the physical environment during childhood can also affect readiness to learn. Shonkoff (2012) discusses “developmental impediments” that affect the capacity of learning in childhood (p.17302). These can result in “emotional problems as well as lead to compromised working memory, attention, and inhibitory control” (Shonkoff, 2012, p.17302). A lack of parental support, learned helplessness, and an unsafe environment can all contribute to poor development and as a result, decreased education. This further impedes childhood development and increases the risk of health challenges as an

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