Health Management and Social Care | Factors affecting our health / illness experiences and per sonal and social well well-being

Factors Affecting Our Health: A Deep Dive

Hello! Welcome to your study notes for an essential topic in HMSC. Ever wondered why some people seem to get sick more often than others, or why health issues are different across communities? It's not just about luck or germs! Our health is like a complex puzzle, influenced by many different pieces.

In this chapter, we'll become health detectives and uncover the factors affecting our health, illness experiences, and our overall well-being. Understanding these factors is super important because it helps us see the bigger picture of health and how we can work towards a healthier life for ourselves and our community. Let's get started!

1. Demographic Factors: Your Personal Blueprint

Think of these as the basic details on your profile page. They are statistical facts about you that can give clues about your health.

Age

Your health needs and risks change as you go through life. It's a journey!
- Infancy: The main concerns are getting immunisations (vaccines) to prevent diseases and ensuring proper nutrition for growth.
- Childhood & Adolescence: This is a time for growth. Key issues include safety (preventing accidents), good nutrition, and developing healthy emotional habits.
- Adulthood: Focus shifts to managing stress from work and family, and preventing lifestyle-related diseases.
- Elderly: Health concerns often include chronic illnesses (like heart disease), preventing falls, and maintaining mental sharpness.

Gender

Gender affects our health in two ways: biological and social.
- Biological differences: Some diseases are specific to one sex. For example, only men can get prostate cancer, and women are more susceptible to osteoporosis (weak bones) after menopause.
- Social/Behavioural differences: In many societies, men might be encouraged to take more risks or be less likely to visit a doctor when they feel unwell. This can lead to health problems being diagnosed later.

Race and Ethnicity

Our ethnic background can influence our health through genetics and culture.
- Genetic Predisposition: Some ethnic groups have a higher genetic risk for certain conditions. For example, people of Southern Chinese descent have a higher risk of developing nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC).
- Cultural Practices: Culture affects our diet, beliefs about health, and how we seek medical help. For example, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a culturally significant approach to health for many in Hong Kong.

Key Takeaway: Our age, gender, and ethnicity are starting points that shape our health journey and potential risks. They don't define our destiny, but they are important factors to be aware of.

2. Social and Economic Factors: Your Place in the World

These are powerful factors related to your social standing and financial situation. Don't worry if this seems tricky; think of it like this: your opportunities for being healthy are strongly linked to your environment and resources.

Social Class, Education, and Employment

These three are closely linked!
- A higher education level often leads to a better job (employment).
- A better job usually means a higher income and a higher social class.
- This translates to better health because you can afford better housing in a safer neighbourhood, more nutritious food, and better healthcare. It can also mean having a less physically demanding job and more knowledge about how to stay healthy.

Lifestyle

This is all about your daily choices and habits!
- Leisure Activities: What do you do for fun? Spending weekends hiking and playing basketball has a different health impact than spending them playing video games for hours.
- Exercise: Regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your body and mind. A sedentary lifestyle (not moving much) is a major risk factor for many diseases.

Living Environment

Where you live matters. A healthy environment supports a healthy life.
- Physical aspect: Do you live in a clean, safe area with green spaces like parks? Or is it polluted, noisy, and overcrowded?
- Social aspect: Do you have good relationships with your neighbours? A supportive community can reduce stress and improve mental well-being.

Accessibility to Services

How easy is it for you to get help when you need it? This includes access to doctors, clinics, hospitals, and social support services. Barriers can include:
- Cost: Can you afford the service?
- Distance: Is the clinic too far away?
- Waiting times: Are the queues for public hospitals too long?

Economy

The overall economic health of a city or country affects everyone.
- In a good economy: The government has more money for public healthcare and social services. People have stable jobs and less financial stress.
- In a bad economy (recession): People may lose jobs, leading to high stress and poor mental health. Government may cut funding for health services.

Did you know? Health experts sometimes say, "Your postcode can be more important than your genetic code." This highlights just how powerful these social and economic factors are!

Key Takeaway: Our health is deeply shaped by our social position, income, education, and the environment we live in. Disadvantages in these areas can create significant barriers to being healthy.

3. Nutritional Factors: You Are What You Eat

This one is straightforward but crucial. The food we eat is the fuel for our bodies.

Balanced Diet and Eating Habits

A balanced diet means getting the right amount of different nutrients (carbs, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals). Our eating habits are also important. For example, eating three regular meals is generally healthier than skipping breakfast and eating a huge meal late at night.

Malnutrition

This is a common point of confusion! Malnutrition doesn't just mean not getting enough food. It can be:
- Under-nutrition: Not getting enough calories or nutrients. This is a major problem in some developing countries.
- Over-nutrition: Getting too many calories, often from unhealthy food, which can lead to obesity and other health problems. This is common in developed cities like Hong Kong.

Key Takeaway: Nutrition is a cornerstone of good health. Both the quality and quantity of our food have a direct impact on our well-being.

4. Socio-biological & Psychobiological Factors: Mind, Body, and Society

This sounds complex, but it's just about the connection between our mind (psycho-), our body (bio-), and our social world (socio-).

Effects of Over- and Under-estimation of Children

A child's development is affected by how they are viewed and treated.
- Over-estimation: Intense pressure to succeed (like from "tiger parents") can lead to chronic stress and anxiety.
- Under-estimation: Neglect or a lack of belief in a child's abilities can lead to low self-esteem and poor mental health.

Hyperactivity and Lack of Concentration

These issues, sometimes linked to conditions like ADHD, can be influenced by factors like diet (high sugar intake), lack of exercise, and excessive screen time.

Civilisation Diseases

These are diseases that become more common as a country becomes more developed and people adopt modern lifestyles. They are often called "diseases of lifestyle." Think of them as problems that arise from living with too much convenience and not enough physical activity.
- Diabetes (Type 2): Often linked to obesity and poor diet.
- High Cholesterol / Heart Disease: Linked to diets high in unhealthy fats and lack of exercise.
- Obesity: A major health issue caused by consuming more calories than the body burns.

Quick Review Box
Factors linking your mind & society to your body:
- Parental pressure affects a child's stress levels.
- Modern lifestyles can lead to "civilisation diseases."
- Our mental health and physical health are deeply connected!

Key Takeaway: Our modern way of life, our thoughts, and our social interactions have real, physical effects on our bodies.

5. Ecological Factors: A Healthy Planet, Healthy People

We depend on our environment for clean air, water, and food. When the planet is sick, our health is at risk.

Human Activities

Our actions have a big impact on the environment.
- Pollution: Air pollution can cause respiratory problems like asthma. Water pollution can spread diseases.
- Climate Change: Global warming can lead to more extreme weather (like stronger typhoons and hotter heatwaves), which can cause injuries and heatstroke. It can also change how infectious diseases spread.
- Genetic Modification (GM) of Foodstuff: Scientists alter the genes of food to improve them (e.g., make them more resistant to pests). This is a complex topic with debates about its long-term health and environmental effects.

Natural Disasters

Events like typhoons, floods, and earthquakes have immediate and long-term health impacts.
- Immediate: Injuries, death.
- Long-term: Spread of waterborne diseases, psychological trauma (stress, anxiety), and disruption of healthcare services.

Key Takeaway: Personal health is inseparable from environmental health. Protecting our planet is a crucial part of public health.

6. Globalization: The Connected World

Globalization means the world is becoming more interconnected through trade, travel, and technology. This has both good and bad effects on health.

Cross-cultural influence on our eating pattern

It's easier than ever to eat food from around the world. In Hong Kong, the popularity of Western-style fast food is a perfect example. This gives us more choice but has also contributed to an increase in diets that are high in fat, salt, and sugar.

The spread of infectious diseases

Because of high mobility (easy international travel), a disease that starts in one country can spread across the globe in a matter of days. SARS (2003) and COVID-19 are powerful examples of how globalization can quickly turn a local outbreak into a global pandemic.

The ease of accessibility of health or social care information

The internet gives us instant access to a huge amount of health information.
- The Good: We can quickly learn about symptoms, find support groups, and become more informed about our health.
- The Bad: There is a lot of misinformation and fake news online. Relying on "Dr. Google" instead of a real doctor can be dangerous.

Key Takeaway: Globalization brings both opportunities (shared knowledge) and threats (rapid disease spread) to our collective health.

7. Technological Advancement: The Double-Edged Sword

New technology is constantly changing medicine and healthcare, mostly for the better, but it also raises new challenges.

Impact on Health and Health Care

Here are some game-changing examples:
- Pre-marriage advice and genetic screening: Couples can get tested for genetic conditions before having children, allowing them to make informed decisions.
- Peri-natal care: Advanced technology like ultrasound scans helps monitor the health of a baby during pregnancy, making childbirth much safer.
- Vaccines: One of the greatest public health achievements! Technology allows us to develop vaccines that protect us from deadly diseases like measles and polio.
- GM technology and cloning: These advanced technologies offer potential for new medical treatments and improved food sources, but they also bring up serious ethical questions that society must debate.

Key Takeaway: Technology provides amazing tools to improve health and fight disease, but we must also think carefully about its ethical implications and how to use it wisely.