1. There is a well-documented association between income and health, what do you believe are some of the main reasons for this?
2. How can education improve health in individuals? In communities?
3. Why is paying close attention to education, income, and other socioeconomic factors so important to epidemiologists?
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part 2: Reply to Erika
Income is associated with health in several ways, including through income of persons, the gross national product of countries, and income inequalities occurring among geographical locations and wealthy nations. The lesser the community’s goods and services, the essential the individual income becomes for health. The relationship between the two is casual since higher income results in better health. The income distribution level causes health inequalities and influences factors directly impacting health, including control over unforeseen events and social status (Whitehead, et al., 2016). Social status affects the health of individuals because individuals from higher social status have higher incomes and therefore have better health, although it is not always the case.
Education improves the health of communities significantly. Education leads to better jobs, which leads to more cash and advantages such as better health insurance. Better health insurance leads to improved access to superior healthcare. Higher earnings, which are often associated with better education, allow individuals to afford healthier diets essential for healthy living. With better education, communities can identify and report when they are in poor health and seek medical care than with lower education levels. Education improves effective agency, enhances a sense of control in individuals, and enables individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles (Hejazi, et al., 2017).
Epidemiologists need to understand education, income, and other socio-economic factors to understand the prevalence of risky behavior in individuals and relate it to populations’ different health outcomes. Social factors are essential in epidemiology because they are interrelated and are considerably associated with various health outcomes across populations (Holt-Lunstand, 2017). Epidemiology deals with the incidence, distribution and mitigation, and other factors related o health; therefore, they have to study socio-economic factors to recognize how they affect health and study how they can help in diseases control, based on the incomes of their studies. For example, low education and income levels are strongly linked to the high prevalence of risky behavior. The study of these factors can help them understand to what extent they affect health.
