Health Between Nature and Nurture & Social Determinants

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture on contemporary health approaches, environmental and social determinants, and equity considerations.

Biopsychosocial Model

Engel’s 1977 model that explains health is a result of interacting biological (body), psychological (mind), and social (environment) factors, moving beyond just medical causes.

Health Continuum

Milton Terris's idea that health and illness are not set conditions but exist on a continuous scale, meaning one can be more or less healthy.

Illness Narratives

Arthur Kleinman's concept about the cultural and emotional stories people tell to make sense of their suffering, healing, and the meaning they find in their illness.

Disease

A specific, diagnosable medical condition, like cancer or diabetes, that affects the body's normal functions.

Illness

The personal and subjective feeling of being unwell, how an individual experiences their condition.

Sickness

The social role and expectations associated with being unwell, for example, being excused from work or needing others to care for you.

Syndemic

Merrill Singer’s idea that two or more diseases can interact and make each other worse, especially when they occur alongside harmful social and environmental problems.

One Health

A collaborative way of thinking that recognizes and connects the health of humans, animals, and our shared environment, understanding they are all linked.

3 P’s (Poverty, Pollution, Population)

These three, Poverty, Pollution, and Population growth, are major human-caused threats that harm global health and long-term sustainability.

Food Security

Having reliable access to enough safe, healthy, and nutritious food for everyone to live an active and healthy life.

Food Sovereignty

The right of communities to control their own food production and distribution systems, allowing them to choose sustainable and culturally appropriate practices.

Water-related diseases

Illnesses that result from poor water quality, including infections, parasites, and contamination, which contribute to about 80\% of the global disease burden.

Water for food vs. water for nature

Refers to the competition over water resources, where water is needed both for growing food (agriculture) and for maintaining natural ecosystems (environmental conservation).

Vegetarianism

A dietary practice where a person avoids eating meat, often promoted as a more sustainable and environmentally friendly food choice.

Cultivated Meat

Meat grown in a laboratory directly from animal cells, designed to be a more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional meat production.

Entomophagy

The practice of eating insects, which are considered a food source rich in protein with a low environmental impact compared to other common meats.

Pathography

A personal, first-person story or account of someone's illness, highlighting the emotional and social challenges they face, which helps make medicine feel more human.

Emic Perspective

An 'insider's' viewpoint of a culture or health situation, based on how people within that group understand their own experiences and beliefs.

Etic Perspective

An 'outsider's' analytical viewpoint of a culture or health situation, applying scientific or comparative frameworks to understand it from an external perspective.

Community Health Approach

A strategy that blends modern medical care (biomedical) with active involvement from community members (sociocultural participation) to improve health outcomes and ensure programs are accepted locally.

Participation (community health)

The active involvement of community members in all stages of local health programs, from planning and carrying them out to evaluating their success.

Salutogenesis

An approach to health that focuses on understanding the factors that support human health and well-being, rather than just studying the causes of disease.

Health Assets

The positive resources available within individuals and communities—like strong relationships, cultural traditions, or access to green spaces—that contribute to overall health and well-being.

Intersectionality

Kimberlé Crenshaw’s concept explaining that different aspects of a person's identity, such as race, gender, and class, can overlap and combine to create unique and often magnified forms of discrimination or inequality.

Anthropocene

The current geological era or epoch where human activities have become the primary force influencing and changing Earth’s geology and ecosystems.

Transferability

Refers to how well a health program or intervention developed in one setting can be successfully adapted and applied in different communities or situations.

Context (public health)

In public health, this refers to the specific cultural, historical, and resource conditions of a particular community that determine how suitable or effective a health intervention will be for that group.

Sustainability (public health)

In public health, it's the ability of a health program or policy to continue to be effective and maintained over a long period, without external support always being needed.

Structural Social Determinants of Health

The fundamental political and economic systems in a society that create social hierarchies (like class or power structures) and are the root causes of unfair differences in health outcomes (health inequities).

Intermediary Social Determinants of Health

The everyday living and working conditions—such as housing, employment, and access to healthcare—that are shaped by structural determinants and directly influence a person's health.

Health Equity

The principle and goal of public health that aims to ensure every person has a fair and just opportunity to achieve their highest possible level of health, regardless of their circumstances.

Power (in health)

Refers to how influence and control are distributed within society, impacting decisions about health policies, access to resources, and ultimately, health outcomes for different groups.

Absolute Poverty

A severe condition where a person lacks the absolute minimum necessities for survival, such as adequate food, clean water, and basic shelter.

Relative Poverty

An economic status where a person is considered poor compared to the average standard of living in their specific society or community, rather than lacking basic necessities.

Functional Capacity

An individual's ability to perform necessary everyday tasks and activities, like dressing, eating, or walking, which can sometimes decline due to age or environmental factors.

Gender (in health)

Refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, expressions, and identities that influence how individuals experience health, access care, and interact within healthcare systems.

Affirmative Psychology

A positive and validating approach within psychology and mental health care that specifically acknowledges, respects, and supports the identities and experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals.