“The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These forces and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies and political systems” (World Health Organization, n.d.). Social determinants that affect an individual’s health are thus, multilayered and complex. They include the social gradient, stress, early life experiences, social exclusion, work, unemployment, social support, addiction, food and transport (Wilkinson & Marmot, 2003). In order to gain a complete understanding of a specific case and its social determinants, such as Mrs. A’s, we must recognize
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A who have resettled experience extreme hardships before, during, and after resettlement in a new country. Mrs. A’s family is part of the displaced population of ethnic Rohingya people therefore, understanding the history of Rohingya people is critical in understanding some of the social determinants in Mrs. A’s case. Since 1982 Rohingya are not recognized as one of Myanmar’s official ethnic groups and have been denied citizenship, leaving them stateless. Statelessness means not having any “proof” that you exist and having no way to identify yourself (Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, 2014). As a result, Rohingya are unable to access basic rights and services including health care, education, employment and travel without facing various discriminatory barriers (Abdelkader, 2017). Additionally, they have faced ongoing violence and persecution, causing many to flee using desperate and dangerous transportation such as row boats to neighboring countries such as Bangladesh for refuge, like Mrs. A’s family did (Abdelkader, 2017). Being socioeconomically disadvantaged as a result of statelessness due to having few assets, insecure job employment, poor education and housing contributes to a social gradient, which decreases Mrs. A’s life expectancy and increases her risk for disease (Marmot,
A who have resettled experience extreme hardships before, during, and after resettlement in a new country. Mrs. A’s family is part of the displaced population of ethnic Rohingya people therefore, understanding the history of Rohingya people is critical in understanding some of the social determinants in Mrs. A’s case. Since 1982 Rohingya are not recognized as one of Myanmar’s official ethnic groups and have been denied citizenship, leaving them stateless. Statelessness means not having any “proof” that you exist and having no way to identify yourself (Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, 2014). As a result, Rohingya are unable to access basic rights and services including health care, education, employment and travel without facing various discriminatory barriers (Abdelkader, 2017). Additionally, they have faced ongoing violence and persecution, causing many to flee using desperate and dangerous transportation such as row boats to neighboring countries such as Bangladesh for refuge, like Mrs. A’s family did (Abdelkader, 2017). Being socioeconomically disadvantaged as a result of statelessness due to having few assets, insecure job employment, poor education and housing contributes to a social gradient, which decreases Mrs. A’s life expectancy and increases her risk for disease (Marmot,