FULL HLTH 101

Social Determinants of Health (SDoH)

The conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age that affect their health.

Evidence-Based Policy

A policy approach that uses the best available evidence to make decisions.

Health Equity

The principle of fairness in healthcare, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to attain their highest level of health.

Healthcare Access

The ease with which individuals can obtain health care services when needed.

Wellness

A holistic approach to health, encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Health Promotion

The process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health.

Community Health

The study and improvement of the health characteristics of specific populations.

Policy Development

The process of creating laws, regulations, and guidelines that enhance public health.

Risk Factors

Attributes, characteristics, or exposures that increase the likelihood of a person developing a disease or health condition.

Preventative Care

Healthcare services that focus on disease prevention and health maintenance.

Social Justice

The view that everyone deserves equal economic, political, and social rights and opportunities.

Cultural Competency

The ability of healthcare providers to understand and respect diverse cultural backgrounds and practices.

Mental Health

A level of psychological well-being or an absence of mental illness.

Health Literacy

The ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information needed to make informed health decisions.

Patient-Centered Care

Care that is respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient preferences, needs, and values.

Chronic Disease

A long-lasting condition that can be controlled but not cured, such as diabetes or heart disease.

Public Health

The science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities.

Spiritual Health

A component of wellness that relates to one's personal beliefs and values.

Social Determinants of Health

The non-medical factors, as well as the social and economic conditions into which people are born, grow, live, and age, that shape daily life and determine health outcomes.

Social Gradient in Health

A continuous pattern where individuals lower on the social, economic, or occupational hierarchy experience worse health and shorter life expectancies than those above them.

Standard of Living as a Human Right

The principle that everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living for health and well-being, including food, clothing, housing, medical care, and security during unemployment or sickness.

Privatization

The transfer of ownership, management, or operation of a public service, asset, or business from the government to private individuals or corporations.

Difference between Materialist Explanation and Neo-materialist Explanation

Materialist Explanation: Focuses on an individual's living conditions and resources. - Poor health results from lacking necessities like food, housing, and clothing.

Neo-materialist Explanation: Focuses on how society distributes resources and invests in public services. - Poor health results from unequal access to services like healthcare, education, and public transportation.

Psycho-social Comparison Explanation

The perspective that health disparities arise from a person's perception of their position in the social hierarchy, where feeling disadvantaged leads to stress and health-threatening behaviors.

Commodification vs. Decommodification

Commodification: Basic needs are treated as goods or services that must be purchased. People depend on their income to access necessities.

Decommodification: Basic needs can be met without relying entirely on money or employment. Government programs and public services help people access necessities regardless of income.

Overton's Window

The spectrum of ideas, policies, or political options that are considered acceptable to the mainstream public at a given point in time.

Medicare

Canada's national health insurance program created to guarantee that citizens receive health services based on need rather than ability to pay.

FIFE Framework

A patient-centered medical framework focusing on a patient's Feelings, Ideas, Function, and Expectations.

SWITCH

An interdisciplinary, student-run clinical program located in Saskatoon that delivers after-hours clinical services and health promotion programming.

Social Accountability in healthcare providers

The obligation of healthcare systems and providers to look beyond treating individual illnesses to understand and address the systemic causes of disease.

Epidemiology

The scientific study of how diseases and health outcomes are distributed across populations and factors influencing that distribution.

Policy: Health in All Policies

A policy strategy that improves population health by coordinating health considerations and interventions across all government sectors.

Conspirituality

Conspirituality is the combination of conspiracy theories and spiritual or wellness beliefs.

Conspirituality can negatively affect health by increasing medical distrust, spreading misinformation, and discouraging evidence-based healthcare.

Digital Sabbath

A modern wellness practice adapted from traditional religious Sabbath rest, focused on taking intentional breaks from digital technology.

Why is poverty considered a major health issue?

poverty limits access to resources needed for physical and mental health

How does poverty affect mortality

People living in poverty have higher risks of disease and premature health

What is the main social determinant highlighted in this weeks notes?

Income, affects health and many other determinants

How can income affect health

Income affects access to food, housing, healthcare, education, and safe environments

What is the key idea behind “poverty is a disease”?

Poverty can be viewed as preventable, treatable, and potentially curable

What does epidemiology study?

how diseases or health conditions are distributed across populations

What is incidence

the number of new cases occurring during a specific period

What is prevalence?

The total number of existing cases in a population.

What is etiology?

The cause or origin of a disease or health condition.

What is pathophysiology?

How a disease changes the body's normal functioning.

What does VITAMIN D help classify?

Major categories of disease causes, helping organize diagnosis

What does poverty mean in terms of health?

Not having the resources needed to maintain good health.

What makes poverty harmful to health?

Material deprivation, chronic stress, and difficulty making healthy choices.

Why isn't treating individual illnesses enough to solve poverty?

Illnesses are effects of poverty; treating them doesn't remove poverty's causes.

What does Lisa's story demonstrate?

Poverty and social conditions can contribute to complex, interconnected health problems.

What social factors contributed to Lisa's poor health?

Homelessness, unsafe housing, poverty, addiction, trauma, and limited resources.

Why was Lisa's cancer diagnosis a turning point?

It motivated her to fight for her health and reconnect with treatment and family.

What is the main lesson from Lisa's story?

Health is shaped by living conditions, not only access to doctors or treatment.

What is basic income?

Providing people with enough income to meet basic needs and support stability.

What was Mincome?

A Manitoba experiment guaranteeing families a minimum level of income.

What happened to employment during Mincome?

People generally continued working, though some groups worked somewhat less (mothers, kids)

What is amortization?

Spreading repayment of a cost or loan over time through regular payments

How could amortization apply to social programs?

Costs could be spread over time while benefits appear over many years

What is the problem with full-time work while living in poverty?

Having a job doesn't guarantee enough income for basic healthy living

What is the main difference between treating poverty and its effects?

Treating effects manages illnesses; addressing poverty tackles their underlying causes

What supports can help prevent poverty?

Strong labour laws, living wages, healthcare, affordable housing, and childcare

What does spending 50%+ of income on housing cause?

It leaves less money for food, clothing, utilities, medication, and other needs.

What are “food swamps”?

Areas where unhealthy, processed foods are abundant and easy to access

Why might people have difficulty eating a healthy diet?

Healthy foods may be expensive, unavailable, or difficult to access.

What is the most immediate social determinant discussed in “Hitting Where We Live”?

Housing — the conditions and environment in which a person lives

What is a contentious assertion?

A claim that people are likely to disagree about or argue over.

What is relative homelessness?

Having housing that is unsafe, overcrowded, inadequate, or below basic standards.

What is an “after-the-fact” approach?

Addressing a problem after it occurs instead of preventing it.

Why can an after-the-fact approach cost more?

Managing homelessness and its health effects can cost more than prevention

What does calling homelessness a “palliative diagnosis” suggest?

It focuses on managing immediate harm rather than fixing the underlying causes.

What is the Housing First approach?

Provide permanent housing first, then help address other challenges

What does Housing First NOT require before housing?

People do not need to be sober, employed, or in treatment first

What is CHEP Good Food?

A Saskatoon organization working to improve access to healthy, affordable food.

What is a Good Food Box?

A bulk-buying program providing affordable fruits, vegetables, and grains

What is the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS)?

A Canadian income supplement providing additional support to eligible seniors.

Why can traditional medical treatment fail for patients living in poverty?

It may treat symptoms while the underlying cause of poor health is poverty.

What is the clinical dilemma in poverty-related illness?

Doctors may prescribe treatments, but these cannot fix the financial conditions causing illness

What is toxic stress?

Extreme poverty can cause biological stress, including elevated stress hormones and changes in biomarkers.

What was the “Special Diet” initiative?

A program that provided extra income to social assistance recipients with specific dietary needs.

Why was food difficult to afford on basic welfare?

After paying rent, some people had less than $1 per day available for food.

Why should doctors ask about finances regardless of appearance?

Poverty and financial difficulties may not be visible from someone's appearance.

What does “prescribing” social supports mean?

Connecting patients with welfare, housing, disability benefits, and tax supports.

How can tax benefits or disability supports help low-income patients?

Accessing them can potentially double a patient's monthly income

What is the second problem with full-time employment?

Many jobs may not exist long-term because of technological change.

How could automation affect employment?

Machines and AI can increasingly perform computations, decisions, and other tasks once done by people.

What is Universal Basic Income (UBI)?

Regular, unconditional, untaxed cash payments to every citizen, regardless of employment or wealth.

What is Targeted Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI)?

Regular unconditional payments given to a specific group based on financial or demographic criteria.

How could UBI protect workers from automation?

It could provide income when technology eliminates or changes people's jobs.

Why might UBI reduce welfare administration?

Fewer eligibility assessments and less time spent evaluating people's individual needs.

Why might UBI reduce employment?

Some argue guaranteed income could reduce the incentive to seek or keep a job

What do conservative critics worry about with UBI?

They may be concerned about its cost and fiscal responsibility.

What do progressive critics worry about with UBI?

It could be used to replace or dismantle important social services.

What did modern cash-transfer trials show about spending?

Recipients mainly used money for productive needs like food, shelter, and education.

What is Relative Income?

A person's income compared with the income of others in their society.

What is Relative Poverty?

Having significantly fewer resources than what is considered normal in your society.

What is Absolute Poverty?

Not having enough resources to meet basic needs like food, shelter, and clothing

What is Income Inequality?

The unequal distribution of income among people in a population.

What is a Living Wage?

The income needed to afford basic needs and maintain a reasonable standard of living.

What is the Paradox of Poverty?

People can work full-time yet still remain poor because their wages are not enough to live on.

What is the Market Basket Measure (MBM)?

A measure of poverty based on the cost of a basket of goods and services needed for a basic standard of living.

What is Psychosocial Comparison?

Comparing your social and economic situation with that of other people.