Social Determinants of Health and Wellness

One of the major concerns of modern society is the quality of health and wellness and the impact this has on the human condition. The state of health and wellness is an individual perception influenced by many cultural factors. Some people believe that the state of mental health and wellbeing is influenced more by personal attitudes and less by medical factors and trends. While other people believe that societal factors, such as the materialistic culture, have an impact on public mental health and wellness.

Both individual behavior and social determinants are important influences on public health and wellness. Attitudes towards health and illness are influenced by social factors such as the cultural values, beliefs, and practices regarding health and illness. People living in a religious context, for instance, are generally more religious than those who do not practice religion and are more likely to adhere to religious beliefs and practices regarding health and illness. There are also individual behaviors that have an effect on public health and wellness.

These individual behaviors include physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, exposure to toxins, smoking, and sedentary lifestyle choices. It is believed that these behaviors are contributing factors to poor health and illness and that individual changes can improve their health and illness. This is because individual behavior can be changed and environmental factors can be altered through changes in the individual’s lifestyle choices.