Health inequity is present around the world. It is not something that can be easily addressed or fixed however, the social determinants of health (SDoH) are a start. The SDoH allow healthcare professionals to better understand their patients. They provide insight into why the patient may struggle with illness or have underlying health conditions (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2020). Analyzing an individual’s SDoH allows care providers to identify health inequities in their patients (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2020).
The British Columbia Ministry of Health (2021) highlights these main social determinants: cultural identity and immigration status, Indigenous identity, socio-economic status, housing insecurity, food insecurity, occupation and employment including higher risk work history, language, and social capital/adhesion. The Ministry of Health in BC (2021) is actively working on providing resources for healthcare workers to acknowledge and include the SDoH in their everyday practice. British Columbia’s Provincial Health Services Authority has previously published findings on health inequities within the province which may have pushed the Ministry of Health to begin implementing these initiatives (Rasali et al., 2016). The 2016 report highlights the impact that education, location, and income have on various health issues such as obesity, anxiety and mood disorders and consumption of fruits and vegetables (Rasali et al., 2016). As an example, the report illustrates a map (see below) showing the areas in British Columbia that are affected by obesity the most (Rasali et al., 2016).
I believe the report by the Provincial Health Authority is worth viewing as it displays the health inequities present in the province. British Columbians need to understand that although we live in Canada, our healthcare system is still far from equitable. There is still lots of work to be done on applying the SDoH in everyday medical practice, but I do believe British Columbia is off to a good start on this initiative.
References
Ministry of Health. (2021, January 26). B.C. Social Determinants of Health Standards. Province of British Columbia. Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/practitioner-professional-resources/health-information-standards/standards-catalogue/bc-social-determinants-of-health-standards
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2020, October 7). Social determinants of health and health inequalities. Canada.ca. Retrieved February 13, 2022, from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/population-health/what-determines-health.html
Rasali, D., Zhang, R., Guram, K., Gustin, S., & Hay, D. (2016). Priority health equity indicators for British Columbia. Retrieved February 13, 2022, from http://www.bccdc.ca/pop-public-health/Documents/Priority%20health%20equity%20indicators%20for%20BC_selected%20indicators%20report_2016.pdf
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