Low Socioeconomic Status

Poverty also influences our responses to health and illness. The level of income below that which people cannot afford a minimum, nutritionally adequate diet, suitable and secure housing, heating and hot water, and beds to sleep on.

Being poor is hazardous to one's health. As seen in class, the conditions that are found in poor neighborhoods cause the poor to die earlier and have much less healthy lives than their more wealthy counterparts in better neighborhoods and the suburbs. The poor who are mostly of color are segregated by income into these areas where poverty, toxic waste, pollution and crime make their lives miserable indeed.

Having a low income can lead to poor to health, because you won’t have access or opportunities for better health, such as safe homes, nutritious foods and good schools. “Income may not be the strongest risk factor for any particular disease or outcome, but it’s a risk factor for all of them.” (Krisberg, 2017)

Three components—physical, mental, and social—make up health and well-being. Living in poverty can negatively affect all three components (BetterHealth). Poverty is not just about lacking money but is more complex as it can affect everyday living in countless ways. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2013 Health Disparities and Inequalities Report findings demonstrate that every aspect of health is worse for people living in deprived circumstances. Poverty leads people to feel hopeless, powerless, and inferior, and these emotions have powerful negative effects

Socioeconomic Status is where a particular person or group of people stand in regards to social class. The main measurement that determines one's socioeconomic status is level of education, occupation and income. Although it may not be considered a factor in child development, socioeconomic status can actually play a huge role in determining what kind of adolescent a child develops into. It can influence a child’s morals, self-esteem, grades and many more aspects of a child's life. Socioeconomic status can play a role in determining where a person resides, the occupation they end up getting, their education and their income as well. So, although one’s socioeconomic status is technically made up of these aspects, one can be born into a low socioeconomic status which could result in them continuing to have one throughout their life. It is a cycle that one must break in order to change the outcome. Low socioeconomic status can result in child poverty. Child poverty over the years has risen and fallen but has remained consistently apparent in America. Child poverty can have detrimental effects on developing children and adolescents. It may influence the way they are raised, taught, cared for and many more aspects of the child's life which are important for successful development. Low socioeconomic status can determine how well children and adolescents develop and the type of person they develop into, including

That is, persons living in poor neighborhoods, even after accounting for their individual socioeconomic characteristics, tend to have worse health outcomes (Winkelby and Cubbin 2003).

Socioeconomic Conditions – The text states it well that the connection between poverty and poor health is well-documented and undeniable. (Teitelbaum & Wilensky, 2017). Access to affordable health care is a challenge for those at the poverty level.

Studies show that people living in poverty face adverse living conditions which are associated with various ranges of health problems (Raphael, 2007). This means that people who live in poverty are more likely to suffer from chronic illness such as: coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and various form of cancers. As a result of poverty, individuals are more likely to have a lower life expectancy and higher mortality rate because of those facing numerous chronic illnesses. People living in poverty or in a low income bracket are more likely to be less healthy and have more medical conditions compared to their counterparts. As a result, they are more likely to be in the hospital more frequently with more complicated healthcare needs (Williamson, Stewart, Hayward, Letourneau, Makwarimba, Masuda, Rainee & Reutter, and Rootman & Wilson, 2006).

According to About.com (Elizabeth Boskey, 2014), socioeconomic status is defined as a arrangement of elements including income, level of education, and occupation. It is a way of looking at how individuals or families fit into society using economic and social measures that have been shown to influence individuals ' health and well-being. Socioeconomic status is broken into three categories: high, middle, and low social economic status. These three categories are used to describe the three areas a family or an individual may fall into. When placing a family or individual into one of these categories, these three variables, income, education, and occupation, are usually evaluated. Socioeconomic status and health are closely related, and socioeconomic status typically have significant effects on a person 's health due to differences in ability to access health care as well as dietary and other lifestyle choices that are associated with both finances and education.

Socioeconomic conditions of persons and the places where they live and work do strongly influence their health. In the United States, as elsewhere, the risk for mortality, morbidity, unhealthy behaviors, reduced access to health care and poor quality of care increases with decreasing socioeconomic circumstances (CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report, 2011).

Poverty defintly factors into the aging process. According to Novak, “Research has found that early life experiences influence health in later life (103).” Therefore, low socioeconomic status can lead to destructive behavior. People with a low socioeconomic status tend to smoke, remain physically inactive, and abuse drugs and alcohol. Therefore, they face many health issues later on in life.

There has been many studied done on the ways in which ones socioeconomic status can have an effect on their health. The various ways in which socioeconomic status can affect health is through the access to resources such as education, food, work and health care, with those with more access having better overall health. A specific aspect of low socioeconomic status that affects health is inadequate housing. Part of the problem of inadequate housing is the amount of people who are not able to afford their own house, apartment, room, etc causing them to either live in shelters of experiences relative homelessness. The people who are the most susceptible to these conditions are those who have low socioeconomic status – lone-parents families, recent immigrants and Aboriginal

This essay will discuss ways in which a person’s socioeconomic class and his/her social situation can have an impact on his/her health, using examples. We believe that there is a direct link between socioeconomic/social class and health (Adler et al. 1994). I will be defining the key terms: socioeconomic and health, social class then proceed to discuss about how poverty, income, employability, environment and housing can impact on a person’s social situation and their health.

There have been many studies conducted on socioeconomic status and the prediction of morbidity and mortality. It tends to have a huge affect on how individuals maintain their everyday lives. “Socioeconomic status (SES) is often measured as a combination of education, income, and occupation. It is commonly conceptualized as the social standing or class of an individual or group. When viewed through a social class lens, privilege, power, and control are emphasized. Furthermore, an examination of SES as a gradient or continuous variable reveals inequities in access to and distribution of resources. SES is relevant to all realms of behavioral and social science, including research, practice, education, and advocacy” (American Psychological Association, 2014). A person’s socioeconomic status includes variables that impact their susceptibility to contracting certain diseases, some of those variables including their income, occupation, and education. For example, someone who lives in a low income area may not have enough money to supply their everyday needs. That individual may only have enough money to eat what they can afford and not eat healthier foods (sometimes higher priced), which could lead to future health problems. Another example would be someone who has minimal education. There is a huge gap between an individual with a bachelor’s degree and someone with only a high school diploma. As we all know, earnings increase with the amount of education one has, which

For example a person living in a deprived council estate, with a very low income has been proven to be more at risk of developing health issues compared to someone from a higher social class as there is a strong correlation between poverty and ill health. This has been backed up by (WHO, 1946) that state that ‘poverty creates ill-health because it forces people to live in environments that make them sick.’