Global Health Study Notes Week 6

Definition: The social determinants of health refer to the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. These conditions are influenced by socio-economic, cultural, and environmental factors.
Components include:
- Living and working conditions:
  - Employment status: stable/ unemployed
  - Work environment: safe, stress-free workplace that promotes mental well-being and productivity.
- Education:
  - Access to education and educational quality
- Social and community networks:
  - Relationships with family, friends, and community
- Individual characteristics:
  - Age, sex, and genetic factors
- Agriculture and food production:
  - Access to sufficient and nutritious food
- Lifestyle factors:
  - Health behaviors and choices (diet, exercise, smoking)
  - Choices are sometimes constrained, but in some circumstances
- Unemployment:
  - Economic impact of job loss
- Water and sanitation:
  - Access to clean water and sanitation facilities
- Health care services:
  - Availability and quality of health care
- Housing:
  - Conditions and stability of living arrangements

Relative Poverty:
- A condition whereby income is below a certain percentage of the median income of a society, resulting in the inability to maintain an average standard of living.
  - social exclusion and deprivation compared to others
Absolute Poverty:
- A condition where an individual's income is insufficient to meet basic needs for a healthy life, such as food, clothing, and shelter.
  - bare minimum for survival

In 2022, 682 million people, or approximately 8.5% of the world’s population, lived in absolute poverty.
US Poverty Line (2025):
- Individual: $42.88/day
- Family of Four: $88.08/day
International Poverty Line:
- Set by the World Bank based on Purchasing Power Parity for low-income countries.
- Updated from $2.15/day to $3.00/day in July 2022.

Number of People Living in Poverty (Billions):
- Population under $2.15/day by year (1990-2020): Trends showing changes over time with numeric values.
Proportion of People Living in Poverty (%):
- Declining percentage of people living in poverty from 1990 to 2020, with variations noted.
Source of Data: Mahler et al. 2022, UN World Population Prospects, and IMF World Economic Outlook

Definition: A measure of income distribution within a population.
Scale: Ranges from 0 to 1:
- 0: Perfect equality
- 1: Perfect inequality
Gini Index Interpretation:
- Higher values indicate greater income inequality.
- Presented as a percentage from 0% to 100%.

Gini Coefficient Values:
- South Africa: 63
- Brazil: 51.6
- United States: 41.8
- Venezuela: 44.7
- China: 35.7
- India: 25.5
- Vietnam: 36.1
- Sudan: 34.2
- Canada: 29.9
- Norway: 26.9
Note: Countries with lower Gini indices tend to be more equitable.

Categories of Inequality:
- Extreme Inequality: Gini > 50
- High Inequality: Gini 41-50
- Moderate Inequality: Gini 30-40
- Low Inequality: Gini < 30

Analysis of Income Levels: Data capturing Gini coefficients across different GDP per capita levels (Adjusted for inflation in PPP $2017).
- Level indicators range from 1 to 4, accompanied by their respective Gini values.
- More GDP does not mean less inequality.

Measurement of Gini coefficients for countries like the UK, USA, Nigeria, China, and South Africa from 1800 to 2020, showing longitudinal changes.

Government of Canada: Emphasizes the importance of social determinants of health for public health policy and interventions.

Talk at WORLD.MINDS Annual Symposium 2014: Focuses on the social determinants of health and their implications for public health.
Inequalities in society lead to inequalities in health.