Transcript Environmental factors that influence health and

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Environmental factors play a significant role in
our health and development.
 Environmental in this case refers to anything
that is not inherited.
 There is an extensive list of factors that
contribute to health and development but we will
just focus on the following:
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family and culture
socio-economic status
physical activity
access to health care
physical environment
nutrition
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Family is perhaps the most important
single relationship most people have.
 One of the key functions of the family is to
act as a socialisation agent. Families
typically help individuals develop socially
by engaging in a wide variety of activities
within the extended family and the
community, thereby giving members the
opportunity to learn social skills and learn
ways of successfully interacting with
others.
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Families are particularly important where
emotional health and development are
concerned.
Providing members with an environment
in which they feel loved and which they
feel they belong is most important.
If this does not happen, there is the
potential for significant negative effects
on social and emotional health and
development.
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The morals, values, attitudes and beliefs
held by the family as a part of society
are passed on to the children.
If these are positive and healthy
qualities they will provide the children
with a framework for interacting well with
the wider community and will enhance
all aspects of development.
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The customs and traditions associated with
the society in which a person lives combine
to form what is known as their culture.
 Culture can influence health and
development in a number of ways
including:
 food habits
 beliefs
 environment where a group of people live
 the way people access resources
 different beliefs about medicine
 genetic predisposition to disease
 The term socio-economic status is used
to refer to a number of factors that have the
potential to influence development.
 These factors include:
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individual or family income
education level
employment status
occupation type
Individual/family income
Education level
Employment status
Occupation type
The interrelationship between key elements of socio-economic status
 Engaging in exercise and physical activity
is clearly important where physical
development is concerned, but there are also
associated implications for social, emotional
and intellectual development.
 Exercise helps promote physical
development in a number of ways, such as
improving coordination and motor skills.
 There are also social and emotional
benefits that go along with exercise and
physical activity.
Being involved in team sports, meeting
new people and developing a positive
attitude towards oneself and others are
all potential benefits.
 Learning new rules and skills, as well
as experiencing how the activity can
improve health, are all positive
intellectual developments.
 The types of healthcare available in
Australia today are wide ranging – from the
latest technological innovations to traditional
and alternative medicines.
 Whatever the type of service, they share
some common problems to do with access
and availability
 Much of what many people know about
available health services is limited to their
own experience or knowledge, or that of
family members and friends.
 It is therefore, important that they are
made aware of the range of health related
resources available to them.
 Depending on where a person lives, there may
be many services or very few.
 Some population groups, such as Indigenous
Australians, experience lower levels of access to
health services because they are more likely to
live outside urban areas.
Access to health services in rural and remote
areas is usually influenced by a low number of
GPs, lower rates of bulk billing and less access to
specialists and major hospitals.
 The physical environment is a term that is used to
describe factors in an individual’s surroundings, such
as the air they breathe and the water they drink, and
has the potential to have a positive and negative
impact on health and development.
 A physical environment that provides adequate
access to clean open spaces and clean water, as well
as being free from pollution, while also having access
to essential services, can be a positive factor in
promoting health and development.
Environmental factor
Example
Family
Siblings can influence the acquisition of motor
skills by a younger sibling.
Culture
The culture of the school ground can influence
attitudes and a child’s self-esteem.
Socio-economic status
A high socio-economic status allows a greater
access to resources and potentially better health.
Physical activity
The child who is physically active is more likely to
develop good motor skills.
The person who is physically active is less likely to
become overweight.
Access to health care
Access to a child and maternal health centre allows
the health and development of infants to be
monitored.
Those living in remote areas are less likely to be
exposed to preventative health care programs.
Nutrition
Certain nutrients are required for soft and hard
tissue development.
Certain nutrients are required to prevent some
diseases.
Environmental factors that influence health and development
Activity: Review Questions 1-8 page 255