Poverty and its relation to health as a social problem

Poverty and its relation to health as a social problem

The first episode introduces viewers to the poor health statistics in the United States of America in comparison to other fellow industrialized countries. The results are presented to Marmot’s Whitehall Studies, which comes with particular findings. The findings are that health status and wealth status have a steady correlation in a continuous gradient that ranges from extremer poor to extreme wealth.

The film addresses poverty and its relation to health as a social problem. There is the usage of people of different levels to represent social class within society. The lives of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the lab supervisor, the janitor, and a jobless mother illustrates well how the social class influences the opportunities of gaining good health. Those at the top class with higher incomes and power influence are in a better position of getting the required resources to obtain good health. On the other hand, those at the bottom are usually the victim of stressors. The stressors are inclusive of unpaid bills, the jobs which are not paying well, and poor living conditions, which exposes them to environmental hazards. Furthermore, the film also shows how those on the bottom lacks control over their schedule of work. They also have a lot of worries about their children since their resources are few to enable them to cope with a life well.

The relation between health and wealth, according to Whitehall Studies, has a direct variation. Those individuals who have access to the required resources, for example CEO, will always assume good health. The opposite still holds since the poor individuals will not have access to the needed resources that can enable them to assume good health. A perfect example within the film is an unemployed woman who is a victim of the stressors.

When resources are deficient, a situation known as poverty arise is described as health- wealth gradient within the film. It is a scenario in which every descendent rung of the socioeconomic ladder has a connection with the worsening of health. From the film, it is evident that not only the poorest who are victims. It seems that obtaining better health facilities in the United States is challenging, and an individual needs to have higher earnings.

The lives of selected individuals indeed explain the importance of having power and control over the wealth – health gradient. It is a fact that a person who has power and control also have access to better facilities of good health. The jobless people and those with jobs that are not adding up are subjects of stressors, and they will continue to be victimized by poor health.

The reports from Metro Public Health organization reveal that there is a gap of 5 – 10 years of life expectancy between productive, middle work, and poor neighborhoods. Furthermore, it is observed in the film that inequality on racial grounds has added a burden of poor health on people of color.

Experiments can explain the observed difference between monkeys and humans shed light on chronic stress. As it is shown in the film, gunning the car of the engine will continuously activate the response of wear and tear to the body system. That is the same way the stressors will lead to diseases and eventually cause early death to the victims.

The ability to influence the events which invade life is an essential factor to consider while dealing with health. That ability usually comes with how easy it easy to access the required resources of monitoring health. Therefore, it is essential to strive to obtain that ability, by all means, to ensure that the health aspect is not compromised regardless of the event.

In comparison with other developed countries, the US has the highest population of income inequality and also the worst health record. American has not embedded economic policy and health policy despite having one of the best economies in the world. It has a situation where the economy is run by wealthy people who their health is good, and yet in the same country, the death of children due to poor health is frequent. It is sad to hear that out of 5 children living in the USA, 21% of them live in poor health conditions and below the poverty line.

The Economic policies suggested to improve the overall health of most Americans are having collaborative efforts among local government, community members, and both private and public health organizations to put the focus on the social conditions. Improvement of social conditions will offer opportunities for health well – being.