Background
The social determinants of health are the health-affecting conditions in which a particular society lives, learns, and works; these conditions cause many wealth inequalities. One of the most critical social determinants of health is the amount of money a country can provide to residents of a given region. Whether residents have accessible and affordable health care is also essential. The purchasing power of a person directly affects the quality of his state of health.
Impact of Social Determinants on Learning Needs
Learning needs are directly related to the social determinants of health. Accessible educational environments are critical to the population’s well-being, as are the social determinants of health. Access to quality health care is a basic need for every person (CDC, 2020). The lower the fit of health determinants, the lower the training needs. In turn, lack of education is associated with greater job insecurity, lower wages, and life satisfaction in almost all cases.
Ways to Overcome Barriers of Social Determinants
Overcoming barriers to social determinants of health is critical to achieving high levels of public health. The main problems are the inaccessibility of medical services, low income, and lack of healthy food and affordable housing (CDC, 2020). To solve these problems, significant investments are needed in these areas: reducing the cost of housing, increasing the number of outlets with cheap healthy food, and providing quality and affordable medicines (CDC, 2020). The state and private investors should play a significant role by funding to increase medical services’ availability.
Policy Change to Improve the Well-Being of Population
Despite the evidence of public investment to address inequalities and improve the social determinants of health, the nurse can play a significant role in advocating for policy change. First, the nurse can determine the exact number of people who need urgent improvement in conditions and access to medical services in a particular region during their activities. Also, the nurse can protect the change policy by unobtrusively monitoring its positive results. A nurse who faces daily problems in the area regarding health care difficulties can track the slightest changes in the population’s well-being and provide statistical data.
References
CDC. (2020). Social Determinants of Health.