The Yellow Family: Social Determinant Of Life

Health is a precious resource that we often take for granted until we get sick. Our health status is determined by many factors that range from the economic factors to the social factors. However, according to Dr. Ichiro Kawachi, the access to income, education and to social determinants of health influence the ability of an individual to avoid smoking and eat a healthy diet.
Yellow family is a family of two that is composed of a single mother and her two years old son. Many factors are hindering the chances of the Yellow family members to a healthier life. In term of income, the mother has a part time job which does not qualify her for healthcare coverage through her workplace. With the absence of the father, she has to face all the expenses of her household which does not give …show more content…
In term of education, she only owns a GED. Her diploma does not give her a lot of opportunities in the work market, so she cannot consider having a better job than the one she has actually. She can only look for a second job which will increase her stress level. In term of social determinant of life, the mother seems to not have any social support. Moreover, the neighborhood in which she lives with her son has been rated as a high crime area; there is no school in a walking distance and there is no green area. The only stores present in the area are convenient store where she does have access to inexpensive food but she does not have access to heathy foods. A prophylactic action to maintain a healthy state would be a healthy diet and outdoor activity but they do not have access to those either. This single mother has all the reason to be under stress and if she is a smoker, she is not likely to stop since stress is one of the reason evoked by smokers as why they started smoking. She