sociocultural factors

what are sociocultural factors?

the social and cultural conditions into which people are born, grow, live, work and age eg. socioeconomic status, social networks, family and cultural background, food security, early life experiences, and access to affordable, culturally appropriate healthcare

how does income impact on health outcomes?

influences the ability to access resources such as housing, food and health care which can influence preventable deaths from overweight and obesity

how does occupation impact on health outcomes?

manual labour increases incidence of workplace injuries. sedentary roles reduce physical activity increasing risk of obesity

how does cultural background impact on morbidity/mortality?

language barriers can isolate some individuals from the health system meaning that conditions go undiagnosed and untreated, contributing to higher rates of mortality and morbidity

how does food security impact obesity?

inability to afford nutritious foods leads to reliance on cheaper, processed foods which often contain added salt, sugar and fat these additives make the food more energy dense increasing the incidence of obesity

how does early life experiences impact health status?

maternal tobacco use decreases oxygen supply through the placenta resulting in low birth weight and therefore increased under 5 mortality rates

how does access to healthcare impact health status?

without access to healthcare it increases the amount of conditions which go undiagnosed and untreated increasing mortality

how do commercial factor impact health status?

marketing that promotes unhealthy activities such as alcohol and energy dense foods increases the prevalence of type 2 diabetes, cancers and cardiovascular disease, increasing mortality rates

what are commercial factors?

the impact the private sector has on consumption patterns of populations, the private sector includes all non government entities that generally work to generate a profit