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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.
2005 Health Plan
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
