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AVH Home > Community > Achb > Current Page

Click here for more information - Brochure

Our Board Members

Wendy Knowlton Chair            
Phil Hore Vice Chair   
Marian Ward Secretary  
Katherine MacCarthy-Bent Treasurer   
Sharon Hawboldt 
Shelby Spurr

Lynda Hanshaw

 

The meetings are held the Second Tuesday of each month from 6:30-8:30 PM, Locations vary. The public are welcome to attend. Contact the Coordinator to confirm the meeting location, see below for contact information.

Our Health Plan Update - 2008 - NEW

ACHB Annual Report- 2007

2005 Health Plan

Senior Safety Seniors Directory 
for Annapolis County 2006

 

Determinants of Health 

There are many different factors that affect how healthy we are. These factors are called the Determinants of Health. As identified by Health Canada, the determinants are:

Income and Social Status 
Social Support Networks 
Education 
Employment and Working Conditions 
Social Environments 
Physical Environments 
Personal Health Practices and Coping Skills 
Culture 
Healthy Child Development 
Health Services 
Gender 
Biology and Genetic Endowment 



Income and Social Status: This is the single most important determinant of health. Many studies show that health status improves with every step up the income and social-standing ladder. Also, societies that are reasonably prosperous and have a fair distribution of wealth have the healthiest populations, regardless of the amount they spend on health care.

Social Support Networks: Support from family, friends and members of the community is associated with better health. Some experts conclude that the health effect of social relations may be as important as known risk factors such as smoking, lack of physical activity, obesity and high blood pressure.

Education: Health improves with the level of education. This is even demonstrated when people are asked to rate themselves on indicators of positive health or of poor health. Education increases opportunities for income and job security, giving people a sense of control over life's circumstances. These are key factors that influence health.

Employment and Working Conditions: People with more control over their work circumstances and fewer stress-related job demands are healthier. Workplace hazards and injuries are significant causes of health problems. Unemployment too is associated with poorer health.

Physical Environments: Physical factors in the natural environment - such as air, water and soil quality are key influences on health, as are factors in the human-built environment, such as housing, workplace safety, community and road design.

Biology and Genetic Endowment:
A person's inherited makeup and the way various body systems function are an important determinant of health. So are the processes of development and aging. Biological and socially influenced differences between the sexes can also influence health on an individual and a population basis.

Personal Health Practices and Coping Skills: Social conditions that encourage and support healthy choices and lifestyles are key influences on health as well as people's knowledge, goals, behaviours, and coping skills for dealing with life in healthy ways.

Healthy Child Development: Prenatal and early childhood experiences exert a powerful effect on later health, well-being, coping skills and competence. For example, a low birth weight is often associated with health and social problems throughout life. On average, mothers at each step up the income scale have babies with higher birth weights than those on the step below.

Health Services: Health services, particularly those designed to maintain and promote health and prevent disease, contribute to population health.

Culture: Some people may face additional health risks because their socioeconomic environment is largely determined by dominant cultural values. These values can, in some cases, contribute to conditions such as marginalization, stigmatization, loss or devaluation of language and culture and lack of access to culturally appropriate health services.

Gender: Each gender has specific health issues. Differences exist in life expectancy and illness patterns of males and females due to social, cultural and biological differences between men and women.



Annapolis Community Health Board (ACHB)
462 Main St. PO Box 730
Soldier Memorial Hospital
Middleton, Nova Scotia
B0S 1P0
Phone: (902) 825-6160 ext 357
Fax: (902) 825-5113
Email: achb@avdha.nshealth.ca


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Last updated on: Friday, November 14, 2008; at 4:13:58 PM



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