Biological factors

Biological factors

relate to the structure of the cell, tissue and systems of the body and how adequately they function

Examples of Biological factors

• Body weight

• Blood pressure

• Blood cholesterol

• Age

• Genetics

• Glucose regulation

• Birth weight

Body weight

Obesity increases the chance of developing high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and impaired glucose regulation, which are also biological factors.

• Linked to

  Cardiovascular disease

  Type 2 diabetes

  Liver diseases (cirrhosis and liver failure)

  Osteoarthritis

Body mass Index (BMI)

Body Mass Index is a height to weight ratio where it is a measure calculate by the formula weight (kg)/ (height(m))² .

It can be used to indicate if a person is underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese.

Body weight - Impact on Health status

• A biological factor is body weight where overweight and obesity results in high BMI places strain on the heat to pump harder. This leads to higher blood pressure which contributes to hypertension. Hypertension increases the risks of cardiovascular disease, which lead to higher mortality rate and lower life expectancy in a population.

• A biological factor is body weight.

A high BMI of the overweight and obese means that more weight and strain on the joints of the bones such as knees or hips, increasing the prevalence of osteoarthritis and morbidity rates within the population

• A biological factor is body weight

Overweight and obesity is linked to high BMI where excess fat accumulating in the liver which may lead to inflammation and liver cell damage, leading to scarring of liver tissue, preventing it from carrying out its functions effectively of filtering blood and removing waste. Over time, this can increases the risk of liver diseases such as cirrhosis and liver failure, increasing mortality rates

Body weight - Impact on health and wellbeing

• People experiencing overweight or obesity may face social exclusion and discrimination regarding their own body image as a result of societal weight stigma, leading to low self-esteem and low levels of confidence and negatively impacting mental health and wellbeing.

• People experiencing overweight or obesity may view their own body image negatively, feeling more self-conscious and dissatisfied regarding their body image and making them less likely to participate in social activities, thus less likely to maintain a supportive network of friends (social health and wellbeing)

• A high BMI of the overweight and obese means that more weight and strain on the joints of the bones such as knees or hips, which overtime, can lead to significant amount of pain. This reduces the physical capacity to perform daily tasks or activities (physical health and wellbeing)

Blood pressure - impact on health status

• High blood pressures relate to hypertensions. Hypertensio relates to extra strain on the heart to pump harder, increasing risk of clots, stroke and heart attack. This increases the risk of heart attack, contributing to increased mortality rates and lower life expectancy relating to coronary heart diseases.

• High blood pressure relate to hypertension. Hypertension means the heart is pumping harder, leading to increasing pressure of small blood vessels reducing blood flow to the kidney ,preventing the kidney to function effectively, increasing risk of kidney failure. This leads to greater incidence of kidney diseases which contributes to significant levels of morbidity and mortality in Australia.

Blood pressure - health and wellbeing

Unmanaged blood pressure levels can lead to hypertensions which can lead to lead to symptoms such as headache, dizziness and breathing difficulties. This reduces the physical capacity of an individual to carry out daily tasks or activities.

Blood cholesterol - impact on health status

• High blood cholesterol contributes to atheroscelrosis. Chrolestoral can build up on blood vessels walls and increase the risk of other fatty deposits and calcium developing on blood vessel walls, which lead to the narrowing of blood vessles, restricting blood flow and an increasing risk of clots, stroke and heart attack. This increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. This increases mortality rates.

• High cholestoral levels contribute to atheroscelrosis Chrolestoral can build up on blood vessels walls and increase the risk of other fatty deposits and calcium developing on blood vessel walls, which lead to the narrowing of blood vessles, restricting blood flow, which means there is less space for blood to flow to the kidney. As a result, the kidneys receive less oxygen and nutrients, impairing their function over time. This increases the risk of kidney disease such as kidney failure.

• High cholesterol levels contribute to atheroscolosis in which cholestoral can build upon blood vessels walls, increasing the risk of other fatty and calcium depositis which lead narrowing of blood vessels which causes reduce blood flow reaching the brain. This can lead to dementia (vascular dementia) due to poorer blood circulation, contributing to increased rates of morbidity and lower life expectancy.

Blood cholesterol - Impact on health and wellbeing

• Excess low density lipoprotein (LDL) leads to the narrowing of blood vessels (atherosclerosis). By restricting blood flow, high cholesterol can lead to pain in the heart area, referred to as angina. This reduces an individual’s physical capacity to perform daily tasks or activities.

• Excess low density lipoprotein (LDL) leads to the narrowing of blood vessels (atherosclerosis). This lead to restricted blood flow to the brain which interfere with thought processes, including the ability to think and process information, impacting mental health and wellbeing.

Glucose regulation - health status

• A biological factor is glucose regulation.

impaired blood glucose regulation may lead to insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar by allowing glucose to enter cells for energy, as constantly high blood glucose levels causes body cells to not respond properly to insulin and not enough inslin produced, leading to insulin resistance , thus increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, thus increases morbidity rates relating to type 2 diabetes.

Glucose regulation - health and wellbeing

• Impaired glucose regulation can mean that glucose is excreted in urine instead of being made available to cells to use for energy. This can lead to low levels of energy (physical health and wellbeing) , affecting the ability of people to exercise to maintain fitness, spend time with friends and work towards their purpose in life.

• If people have to implement measures to reduce the impact of impaired glucose regulation, they may experience negative emotions associated with avoiding certain foods and drinks, and having to regularly access health care and take medication. This reduces their ability to express emotions and feeling in a positive way (emotional health and wellbeing)

Birth weight

Low birth weight refers to being weighing less than 2.5 kg at birth.

• Caused by premature birth meaning less time to grow and develop

• Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption and drug use by mother is shown to have reduced foetal growth.

• Illness of the mother during pregnancy where infaction in the uterus can lead to early labour, while other infections such as chicken pox, slow growth of the baby

Birth weight - Impact on health status

• Babies born with a low birth weight are more likely to have an underdeveloped immune system, likely due to being born prematurely where they have lower levels of essential immune cells and antibodies, weakening their defense against bacteria and viruses, increasing the risk of infectious diseases such as influenza. They are also more likely to suffer from premature death, contributing to higher infant and under-5 mortality rates, and lower life expectancy.

Birth weight - Impact on health and wellbeing

• Low birth weight has also been shown to contribute to developmental delays in relation to cognitive skills and motor development. This may decrease the person’s ability to think clearly and use logic, impacting mental health and wellbeing. They may also have a decreased capacity for physical activity, which can reduce opportunities for social interactions, impacting social health and wellbeing.

Genetics - Health status

• A biological factor of genetics accounts for differences between men and women where males are more likely to have a higher body weight that makes them more at risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease by placing strain on the heart to pump faster, increasing mortality rates of males

• A biological factor of genetics accounts for differences between men and women where women experience a higher prevalence of breast cancer as women has more breast tissue than most men.

• A biological factor of genetics accounts for differences between men and women where women have hormones such as estrogen that offer protection from high blood pressure, thus reduce risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Genetics - Health and wellbeing

• Males have a high level of testosterone than females which contribute to more risk taking behaviors such as sports like skateboarding, which can contribute to greater levels of injuries for males. This may reduce their physical capacity to perform daily tasks or activities/

Age - impact on health status

• As people get older, the body begins to display the impacts of the years of accumulation of cellular damage

• Aging increases the incidence and prevalence of a range of conditions, including hearing loss, cataracts and other sigh disorder, back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, depression and dementia

age - impact on health and wellbeing

• As people get older, the body begins to display the impacts of the years of accumulation of cellular damage, which include slower metabolism and less muscle mass, leading to lower strength and mobility. This decreases the physical capacity of an individual to perform daily tasks or activities.