Editing Health (section)

==Determinants==
{{See also|Social determinants of health|Risk factor}}

In general, the context in which an individual lives is of great importance for both his health status and quality of life. It is increasingly recognized that health is maintained and improved not only through the advancement and application of [[health science]], but also through the efforts and intelligent [[lifestyle (sociology)|lifestyle]] choices of the individual and society. According to the [[World Health Organization]], the main determinants of health include the social and [[Economy|economic]] environment, the physical environment, and the person's individual characteristics and behaviors.<ref name="The determinants of health">World Health Organization. [https://www.who.int/hia/evidence/doh/en/ ''The determinants of health.''] Geneva. Accessed 12 May 2011.</ref>{{dead link|date=March 2025}}

More specifically, key factors that have been found to influence whether people are healthy or unhealthy include the following:<ref name="The determinants of health"/><ref>Public Health Agency of Canada. [http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ph-sp/determinants/index-eng.php#evidence ''What Determines Health?''] Ottawa. Accessed 12 May 2011.</ref><ref name="Lalonde">Lalonde, Marc (1974). [http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ph-sp/pdf/perspect-eng.pdf "''A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians''."] Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141028163043/http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ph-sp/pdf/perspect-eng.pdf |date=28 October 2014 }}</ref>
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* [[Education]] and [[literacy]]
* Employment/working conditions
* Income and [[social status]]
* [[Environment (biophysical)|Physical environments]]
* [[Social environments]]
* [[Social support]] networks
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* [[Human biology|Biology]] and [[genetics]]
* [[Culture]]
* [[Gender]]
* [[Healthcare|Health care services]]
* Healthy [[child development]]
* Personal health practices and [[coping skills]]
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[[File:Smallpox eradication team.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.95|[[Donald Henderson]] as part of the CDC's [[smallpox]] eradication team in 1966]]
An increasing number of studies and reports from different organizations and contexts examine the linkages between health and different factors, including lifestyles, environments, [[health care system|health care organization]] and [[health policy]], one specific health policy brought into many countries in recent years was the introduction of the [[Sugary drink tax|sugar tax]]. Beverage taxes came into light with increasing concerns about obesity, particularly among youth. Sugar-sweetened beverages have become a target of anti-obesity initiatives with increasing evidence of their link to obesity.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Andreyeva|first1=Tatiana|last2=Chaloupka|first2=Frank J.|last3=Brownell|first3=Kelly D.|title=Estimating the potential of taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages to reduce consumption and generate revenue|journal=Preventive Medicine|volume=52|issue=6|pages=413–16|doi=10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.03.013|pmid=21443899|year=2011}}</ref>—such as the 1974 [[Lalonde report]] from Canada;<ref name="Lalonde"/> the [[Alameda County Study]] in California;<ref name="Housman & Dorman 2005">{{cite journal|last1=Housman|first1=Jeff|last2=Dorman|first2=Steve|title=The Alameda County Study: A Systematic, Chronological Review|journal=American Journal of Health Education|date=September–October 2005|volume=36|issue=5|pages=302–08|url=http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ792845|access-date=27 December 2011|format=PDF|issn=1055-6699|id=ERIC document number EJ792845|doi=10.1080/19325037.2005.10608200|s2cid=39133965}}</ref> and the series of [[World Health Report]]s of the World Health Organization, which focuses on [[global health]] issues including access to health care and improving [[public health]] outcomes, especially in [[developing countries]].<ref>World Health Organization. [https://www.who.int/whr/en/ ''The world health report'']. Geneva.</ref>

The concept of the "''health field,''" as distinct from [[medicine|medical care]], emerged from the Lalonde report from Canada. The report identified three interdependent fields as key determinants of an individual's health. These are:<ref name="Lalonde"/>
* Biomedical: all aspects of health, physical and mental, developed within the human body as influenced by genetic make-up.
* Environmental: all matters related to health external to the [[human body]] and over which the individual has little or no control;
* Lifestyle: the aggregation of personal decisions (i.e., over which the individual has control) that can be said to contribute to, or cause, illness or death;

The maintenance and promotion of health is achieved through different combination of physical, [[mental health|mental]], and social well-being—a combination sometimes referred to as the ''"health triangle."''<ref>{{multiref2
|1=Georgia State University. 1998. [http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwche/ ''Health Triangle Slides''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811212138/http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwche/ |date=11 August 2019 }}
|2=Nutter S. (2003) ''The Health Triangle''. Anchor Points, Inc., {{ISBN|0-9748760-0-3}}
}}</ref> The WHO's 1986 ''[[Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion]]'' further stated that health is not just a state, but also "a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities."<ref>World Health Organization. [https://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/previous/ottawa/en/index.html The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion.] Adopted at the First International Conference on Health Promotion, Ottawa, 21 November 1986 – WHO/HPR/HEP/95.1.</ref>

Focusing more on lifestyle issues and their relationships with functional health, data from the [[Alameda County Study]] suggested that people can improve their health via [[exercise]], enough [[sleep]], spending time in nature, maintaining a healthy [[body weight]], limiting [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] use, and avoiding [[smoking]].<ref>{{Harvard citation no brackets|Housman|Dorman|2005|pp=303–04}}. "The linear model supported previous findings, including regular exercise, limited alcohol consumption, abstinence from smoking, sleeping 7–8 hours a night, and maintenance of a healthy weight play an important role in promoting longevity and delaying illness and death." Citing {{cite journal |vauthors=Wingard DL, Berkman LF, Brand RJ | title = A multivariate analysis of health-related practices: a nine-year mortality follow-up of the Alameda County Study | journal = Am J Epidemiol | volume = 116 | issue = 5 | pages = 765–75 | year = 1982 | pmid = 7148802 | doi = 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113466 }}</ref> Health and [[illness]] can co-exist, as even people with multiple chronic diseases or terminal illnesses can consider themselves healthy.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Jadad, A.R. | year = 2013 | title = On Living a Long, Healthy, and Happy Life, Full of Love, and with no Regrets, until Our Last Breath | journal = Verhaltenstherapie | volume = 23 | issue = 4| pages = 287–89 | doi=10.1159/000357490|url=http://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/357490| doi-access = free }}</ref>

{{rquote|right|''If you want to learn about the health of a population, look at the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the places where they live.''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://kids.niehs.nih.gov/topics/environment-health | title=Environment & Health – Kids Environment Kids Health NIEHS}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gsi.ie/en-ie/geoscience-topics/environmental-health/Pages/default.aspx | title= Environmental Health – Geological Survey Ireland}}</ref>|Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, 5th century BC}}
The environment is often cited as an important factor influencing the health status of individuals. This includes characteristics of the [[natural environment]], the [[built environment]] and the [[social environment]]. Factors such as clean [[water]] and [[air]], adequate [[house|housing]], and safe communities and [[road traffic safety|roads]] all have been found to contribute to good health, especially to the health of infants and children.<ref name="The determinants of health"/><ref>UNESCO. [http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/facts_figures/basic_needs.shtml ''The UN World Water Development Report: Facts and Figures – Meeting basic needs.''] Accessed 12 May 2011.</ref> Some studies have shown that a lack of [[Neighbourhood|neighborhood]] recreational spaces including natural environment leads to lower levels of personal satisfaction and higher levels of [[obesity]], linked to lower overall health and well-being.<ref name="Fanny Price">{{cite journal |vauthors=Björk J, Albin M, Grahn P, Jacobsson H, Ardö J, Wadbro J, Ostergren PO | title = Recreational Values of the Natural Environment in Relation to Neighborhood Satisfaction, Physical Activity, Obesity and Well being | journal = Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health | volume = 62 | issue = 4 | pages = e2 | year = 2008 | pmid = 18365329 | doi = 10.1136/jech.2007.062414 | s2cid = 13859588 | url = http://lup.lub.lu.se/search/ws/files/5178417/1056501.pdf }}</ref> It has been demonstrated that increased time spent in natural environments is associated with improved self-reported health,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=White|first1=Mathew P.|last2=Alcock|first2=Ian|last3=Grellier|first3=James|last4=Wheeler|first4=Benedict W.|last5=Hartig|first5=Terry|last6=Warber|first6=Sara L.|last7=Depledge|first7=Michael H.|last8=Fleming|first8=Lora E.|date=13 June 2019|title=Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=9|issue=1|pages=7730|doi=10.1038/s41598-019-44097-3|pmid=31197192|pmc=6565732|bibcode=2019NatSR...9.7730W|issn=2045-2322|url=http://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1325155/FULLTEXT01|doi-access=free}}</ref> suggesting that the positive health benefits of natural space in urban neighborhoods should be taken into account in [[public policy]] and land use.

[[Genetics]], or inherited traits from parents, also play a role in determining the health status of individuals and populations. This can encompass both the [[genetic predisposition|predisposition]] to certain diseases and health conditions, as well as the habits and behaviors individuals develop through the lifestyle of their [[families]]. For example, genetics may play a role in the manner in which people cope with [[Stress (biology)|stress]], either mental, emotional or physical. For example, [[obesity]] is a significant problem in the [[United States]] that contributes to poor mental health and causes stress in the lives of many people.<ref>{{Cite book|chapter=|volume = 498|language=en-gb|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-42070-7|series = Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing|year = 2017|isbn = 978-3-319-42069-1|last1 = Kantola|first1 = Jussi Ilari|last2 = Barath|first2 = Tibor|last3 = Nazir|first3 = Salman|last4 = Andre|first4 = Terence| title=Advances in Human Factors, Business Management, Training and Education }}</ref> One difficulty is the issue raised by the [[nature versus nurture|debate]] over the relative strengths of genetics and other factors; interactions between genetics and environment may be of particular importance.

===Potential issues===
A number of health issues are common around the globe. [[Disease]] is one of the most common. According to GlobalIssues.org, approximately 36&nbsp;million people die each year from non-communicable (i.e., not contagious) diseases, including [[cardiovascular disease]], [[cancer]], [[diabetes]] and chronic lung disease.<ref name=":1" />

Among communicable diseases, both viral and bacterial, [[AIDS]]/[[HIV]], [[tuberculosis]], and [[malaria]] are the most common, causing millions of deaths every year.<ref name=":1" />

Another health issue that causes death or contributes to other health problems is [[malnutrition]], especially among children. One of the groups malnutrition affects most is young children. Approximately 7.5&nbsp;million children under the age of 5 die from malnutrition, usually brought on by not having the money to find or make food.<ref name=":1" />

Bodily injuries are also a common health issue worldwide. These injuries, including [[bone fracture]]s and [[burn]]s, can reduce a person's quality of life or can cause fatalities including [[infection]]s that resulted from the injury (or the severity injury in general).<ref name=":1">Shah, Anup (5 January 2014). [http://www.globalissues.org/issue/587/health-issues "Health Issues."] ''Global Issues''.</ref>

Lifestyle choices are contributing factors to poor health in many cases. These include smoking cigarettes, and can also include a poor diet, whether it is overeating or an overly constrictive diet. Inactivity can also contribute to health issues and also a lack of sleep, excessive alcohol consumption, and neglect of oral hygiene.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}} There are also genetic disorders that are inherited by the person and can vary in how much they affect the person (and when they surface).<ref>{{Cite web |title=What are the different ways a genetic condition can be inherited?: MedlinePlus Genetics |url=https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/inheritance/inheritancepatterns/ |access-date=2024-07-17 |website=medlineplus.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 20, 2021 |title=Genetic Disorders |url=https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21751-genetic-disorders |access-date=July 17, 2024 |website=Cleveland Clinic}}</ref>

Although the majority of these health issues are preventable, a major contributor to global ill health is the fact that approximately 1&nbsp;billion people lack access to health care systems.<ref name=":1" /> Arguably, the most common and harmful health issue is that a great many people do not have access to quality remedies.<ref>{{multiref2
|1={{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/health/ |title=United Nations Global Issues |publisher=Un.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608150700/http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/health/ |archive-date=8 June 2016 }}
|2={{cite web|url=http://www.intrahealth.org/page/the-top-10-global-health-issues-to-watch-in-2013 |title=The Top 10 Global Health Issues to Watch in 2013 |date=15 January 2013 |publisher=Intrahealth.org |access-date=1 March 2014}}
}}</ref>