PULSE Magazine | October 2019 Issue

Access to healthcare plays a role, but the following factors may have a bigger impact on one’s health:



where a person lives

 the state of the surrounding environment  genetics  income  education level  relationships with friends and family

These can be summarized as:

 The social and economic environment : Includes how wealthy a family or community is  The physical environment : Including parasites that exist in an area, or pollution levels  The person's characteristics/behaviors : Genes that a person is born with and lifestyle choices

According to the WHO, the higher a person's socioeconomic status (SES), the more likely they are to enjoy good health, a good education, a well-paid job, afford healthcare when their health is threatened.

People with a lower socioeconomic status are more likely to experience stresses related to daily living, such as financial difficulties, marital disruption, and unemployment, as well as social factors, such as marginalization and discrimination. All these add to the risk of poor health. A low socio-economic status often means less access to healthcare. People in developed countries with universal healthcare services have longer life expectancies than people in developed countries without universal healthcare. Cultural issues can affect health. The traditions and customs of a society and a family's response to them can have a good or bad impact on health. For example, around the Mediterranean, people are more likely to consume high levels of fruits, vegetables, and olives, compared with cultures with a high consumption of fast food. How a person manages stress will affect health. People who smoke, drink, or take drugs are likely to have more health problems later than someone who combats stress through a healthful diet and exercise. Preserving health The best way to maintain health is to preserve it through a healthful lifestyle, rather than waiting until we are sick to put things right. This state of enhanced well-being is referred to as wellness. The McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois IL defines wellness as: "A state of optimal well-being that is oriented toward maximizing an individual's potential. This is a life-long process of moving towards enhancing your physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental well-being." Wellness promotes an active awareness of and participation in health, as an individual and in the community. Maintaining wellness and optimal health is a lifelong, daily commitment. Steps that can help us maximize our health include:  a balanced, nutritious diet, sourced as naturally as possible  regular exercising  screening for diseases that may present a risk  learning to manage stress  engaging in activities that provide purpose and connection to others  maintaining a positive outlook and appreciating what you have  defining a value system, and putting it into action

Peak health will be different for each person, and how you achieve wellness may be different from how someone else does. It may not be possible to avoid disease completely, but doing as much as we can to develop resilience and prepare the body and mind to deal with problems as they arise is a step we can all take.

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