Social health is the state of well-being of each person that is associated with the conditions of the environment.
Social health is a notion associated with the state of well-being that a person has according to the conditions of their environment . The health of the human being, both physical and mental, always depends on the socioeconomic context.
It should be noted that the concept of health refers to the physical and mental well-being of an individual. Although the idea is usually associated with the absence of diseases, health transcends this issue. Social , for its part, is that linked to society (the set of individuals who live in a region and share the same culture).
What is social health
Social health, therefore, focuses on the circumstances that condition the well-being of the subject . These are those conditions derived from the distribution of resources and power , related to the policies that are developed at the local and international level.
Suppose a person is born and raised in a precarious house, which lacks access to drinking water. In his neighborhood there are open dumps and dirt streets that flood when it rains. To access a hospital, you must travel several kilometers, since there are no medical centers in the area .
All these conditions that make up social health affect the well-being of this person, as well as that of all their neighbors. These individuals are in a situation of vulnerability to various diseases derived from their living conditions. To improve the social health of the neighborhood in question, the State should make investments that allow expanding the drinking water service, cleaning up the environment, building a medical center, etc.
The State is responsible for social health.
The responsibility of the State
As can be seen, the determinants of social health are all those circumstances that surround people's lives from birth, and that accompany them throughout their development and insertion into the system. There are many factors that contribute to the reality of each individual, and most depend on the government and authorities, since they are the ones who should guarantee well-being and equal opportunities to all citizens .
One of the most discussed points in this context is public health , since in many countries the free health care service is precarious and insufficient to meet the true needs of the people. While in places like England there is a brilliant network of care centres, well organised, hygienic and free of charge, there are too many examples of the opposite situation: hospitals where professionals are hostile, waits are too long and hygiene is conspicuous. absence.
Social health and childhood
Childhood is the key moment in our lives, and it is the time on which governments should focus the most to ensure the well-being of the people. Some of the most widespread proposals to achieve social health is to offer all children the same quality of education until they complete their secondary studies: if all people had access to a high-level education from a young age until reaching youth, it would decrease illiteracy and, consequently, poverty and crime.
Also during childhood but throughout the rest of the stages of growth, it is very important to have a favorable environment for personal and professional development. Clean and safe streets, parks in good condition, schools and libraries with a wide variety of genres are some of the fundamental requirements. But in addition to security, health and access to education, it is very important to offer the population a space for leisure and entertainment, as long as they are taken as sporadic moments that serve to renew energy and continue building.