1. After reading the two articles this week on white privilege and reflecting on the two videos shown in class Race the Power of an Illusion and Unnatural Causes, give some examples of white privilege in your life, in the media, workplace, UMFlint and e
aalhattan
ExternalFactorvsRightChoices17.pptConditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play
that affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes. (CDC)
Examples include:
- Availability of resources to meet daily needs (e.g., safe housing and local food markets)
- Access to healthy food choices
- Access to sidewalks, bike lanes, and roads
- Safe places to exercise
- Transportation options
- Economic access to education and job opportunities
- Quality of education and job training
- Access to health care services
- Social support
- Social norms and attitudes (e.g., discrimination, racism, and distrust of government)
- Exposure to crime, violence, and social disorder (e.g., presence of trash and lack of cooperation in a community)
- Socioeconomic conditions (e.g., concentrated poverty and the stressful conditions that accompany it)
- Language/Literacy
- Access to mass media and emerging technologies (e.g., cell phones, the Internet, and social media)
- Culture
Social determinants of health impact a person’s physical, mental and spiritual health. They also influence the types of choices a person has in order to achieve quality of life.
Social determinants of health are often the result of decisions made at the higher levels of society. The context in which individuals stay healthy or become ill is created by powerful decisions that are often made without their knowledge or input. Decision-making is influenced by:
Who is, and is not, at the table.
What is on the agenda.
Where and when the decisions are being made.
Why decisions are made, including social norms and values.
- People’s health outcomes are determined by their own choices and actions.
- It has moral significance: it relates to people’s character and values.
- It is not only a reflection of how things do work, but how things should work.
(character, upbringing, education)
(mindset, priorities, knowledge)
Good choices Bad choices
Positive outcomes Negative outcomes
- While the model is not false (personal choices do play a role in health outcomes), it is extremely limited and limiting in perspective. This model looks like “common sense”, so even many who know better still buy into this model.
- It excludes “material” conditions and only focuses on a person’s priorities, beliefs, choices and character.
- It excludes broad, systemic conditions and only focuses on how individuals think and behave.
- Not something an individual can control.
- There are broad systemic forces and external factors at work that contribute to health inequities.
- Forces include: education, housing, nutrition, income, employment, neighborhoods, racism etc.
- Some people just have wrong priorities at any SES. Some people work harder than others.
- Health outcomes are earned (bad behavior is punished smoking = cancer; gluttony = obesity)
- Poverty and racism are seen as excuses. You can get healthy food if you want it – I’ve seen people do it.
- Need to look at the external causes behind personal choices.
- Levels of physical fitness are lowered by unsafe streets and lack of sidewalks.
- Lower test scores because of outdated textbooks, lack of technology, and overcrowded classrooms.
