Picture of Health-
Picture of Health-
Order Description
Overview
You are a community health worker at Well-Beings, a regional health advocacy organization. Although the communities your organization serves are all part of US society
and located within one region, the circumstances that influence the lives and health of the people in these communities vary widely. Well-Beings is planning a new
educational campaign to promote greater awareness of the many different aspects of people's lives that play significant roles in their health. You will create an
educational brochure to share with local libraries, schools and businesses, highlighting the connections between health and social, physical, and environmental
factors.
Directions
You and your colleagues at Well-Beings know that a person's health is influenced by a wide range of factors, not all of which are easy to see in day-to-day life. Just
as genetic make-up plays a role in a person's health, so do factors related to the physical environment in which the person lives, as well as the individual's social
and economic status. You will create a handout explaining and illustrating these important health concepts.
Go through the resources and then create a two-to-four-page handout document, written for people who may have little or no knowledge of the subject.
Handout Document:
Begin with one or two introductory paragraphs in which you briefly define "determinants of health" and health-related "disparities." Also, explain what is meant by
social determinants and physical determinants of health.
Choose four or five of the real-life examples described in the three videos or the article (provided as resources), and explain how the situation presented in each of
these examples illustrates a social or physical/environmental determinant of health. Choose examples that represent a variety of determinants.
Create health profiles for two imaginary people. The two people will be about the same age, but very different in terms of determinants of health. Describe each
person's life situation in terms of the particular social and physical/environmental factors that, over time, are likely to influence his or her health—for one
individual, in a more positive way and for the other, more negatively. Your goal is to illustrate in a simple, personalized manner how different determinants of health
can lead to significantly different health outcomes. Be sure to explain to readers that these people are fictional so it is clear that the profiles are not violating
the privacy of real patients.
Project Resources
These are links to public external resources. Any comments or statements made on these public websites are not representative of College for America.
Social Determinants of Health
Refer to this resource for basic information on social and physical determinants of health.
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What Drives Health
Refer to this web page and the pages on different social factors provided through its links for information on the relationship between social factors and health.
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Disparities
Read this resource for an introduction to health disparities, or health-related inequalities, among different groups in the population.
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Video: YES Program Richmond, CA
Watch this video about an anti-violence program for young people, which highlights connections between their urban environment and factors affecting health.
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Video: There's no such thing as small stuff
Watch this video to see an example of the effects of poverty on health.
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Video: Louisville's Rubbertown Neighborhood
Watch this video for information about health and chemical pollutants.
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Article: Enough to make you sick?
Read this article for examples of health issues that affect the urban poor.
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Skill-Building Resources
These are links to public external resources. Any comments or statements made on these public websites are not representative of College for America.
CfA Citation Guide
This resource helps to explain how citations should be used in CfA Projects including formatting guidelines and where to get help.
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Goal Question and Answer Sessions
Read this document to learn how to join a live question and answer session about this Goal hosted by a College for America Goal Mentor.
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APA Citation Question and Answer Sessions
Read this document to learn how to join a live question and answer session about citing information in APA format hosted by a College for America Goal Mentor.