Community Health

Community Health

Introduction

Quality health and access to health care plays a significant role in the improvement of health and subsequently decreases the rate of disease prevalence. The access to quality health care is the right of every individual. The basic aims of healthcare are to provide prevention from mortality and morbidity and other forms of disabilities due to diseases and increase the rate of wellbeing. The health outcomes in a community are the product of complex interface of factors.

Access and equity have a strong impact in the health outcomes. Economic inequity conditions, health disparities, lower education level influences the rate of prevalence of health related risks. For a community to improve its health outcomes it is important that apart from medical institutions community, worksites and schools must collaborate to initiate interventions that could increase the likelihood of quality health and wellbeing.

Discussion

Factors That Influence the Health of the Community

Health and related health behaviors of a community are determined by influences at various levels that include social, environmental, physical and institutional levels. These levels and factors have a huge impact on the overall health of the community. The factors can be divided into Physical factors, Social Factors and Cultural Factors (McKenzie & Pinger, 2011).

Physical Factors

Community Size

The size of community has a strong impact on the health of a community. The community size can have both adverse and proactive impacts on the health of the community. Larger the community greater will be the health resources and greater will be the prevalence of health related issues. Larger communities have better health care professionals and have better facilities to health care (McKenzie & Pinger, 2011).

Geography and Environment

A community health problem can directly be influenced by its altitude, climate and its latitude. The quality of the environment affects the quality of health of individuals in the community. Healthy environment leads to increase the rate of health and wellbeing of a community.

Industrial Development

Industrial development can have both positive and negative effects on the health of a community. Industrial development provides ways to increase resources for community health related programs but at the same time can contribute to environmental pollution and industrial hygiene injuries and diseases (McKenzie & Pinger, 2011).

Social and Economic Factors

Social factors arise with the interaction of individuals and groups of a community. People living in urban areas confront stress and anxiety related health issues more than those in rural areas. ...