Social Determinants Of Health Narrative Assignment

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to understand the definition of “healthy community” as identified in research and to apply theory to practice. Using the 12 Social Determinants of Health and the in class experience of the board game, The Last Straw, students will create a narrative (story) to gain a broad understanding of ‘health” as it relates to children, families and communities.

Learning Outcome

Evaluate research and recommendations for applicability

Description Read the online article, “What Makes Canadians Healthy or Unhealthy” on the Public Health Agency of Canada website : http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ph-sp/determinants/determinants-eng.php#evidence

There are 12 determinants of health that are described in the article. Read the underlying premises and evidence to gain an understanding about how health is defined in Canada. Pursuing other links/reading in the article may be of interest to you to further understand key topics (e.g. how being black and female is related to health, impact of violence against women...).

After reading about the 12 determinants of health you will use these determinants to create a narrative or story about a family with young children and how their lives have been impacted by the determinants of health. You can base your story on a family you know, your own family, a family you may have met in field placement, a family based on the Last Straw character your team played in class or create a fictitious family. Use only fictitious names. You can create the story using any creative format, a picture book, a written story, a poem, a song, a rap song...

The Story

Try to use as many as the determinants of health as you can to demonstrate how you are applying theory to practice. The story can have a positive focus, the family is living in a community where many of the social determinants are met or it could be negative, a family is struggling as social determinants are missing or it can be a bit of both.

The story should demonstrate the characteristics of the neighbourhood or community, its strengths, challenges, characteristics, services, employment, languages, poverty and so on. Consider demographics, ethnicity, employment, age, gender, education, the barriers or opportunities felt by the family in this neighbourhood.

The story should represent the neighbourhood as vividly as possible, and help the reader to have an understanding of what the social determinants of health look like within one family’s life.

Remember to include an introduction, body and conclusion in your writing. 

APA format must be used for all text and graphics.

Include a reference page and cite all sources.