The determinants of health are ranked by the government as most influential to least influential, in the following order:
Income and Social Status
Social Support Networks
Education and Literacy
Employment/Working Conditions
Social Environments
Physical Environments
Personal Health Practices and Coping Skills
Healthy Child Development
Biology and Genetic Endowment
Health Services
Gender
Culture
Questions I need help on:
1) Is one a better measure of health and wellness than the other? or do they complement one another?
2) Which do you think is the most influential? Why? Is there one or more determinant that you feel might be impacting your health status?
Education and literacy is the most important and influential factor. The more you know about health and the more you are educated about it, the better you will be able to maintain your health regardless of the other factors listed. Even poor people can have great health. A case in point is that Diabetes is a disease of affluence.
