DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND ILLNESS: A STUDY OF BIO-MEDICAL, BEHAVIOUR AND SOCIAL FACTORS

Abstract

The current study attempted to investigate the physiological, behavioral, social, and physical factors that contribute to both the development of illnesses and physical well-being. In order to determine the social and individual causes of disease development, this study examined the behavior, biomedical, and social determinants of health and illness based on the Dahlgren and Whitehead model of determinants of health and WHO's (2005a) report on social determinants for non-communicable diseases. In addition to focusing on risk factors found in people's physical and social environments, social determinants of health also examined how people's everyday behaviors contribute to the development of different kinds of diseases. Modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors are the two basic categories into which these factors may be separated. Modifiable risk variables are associated with human behavior, which is ingrained in people's daily routines and the socio-cultural, political, and economic milieu of the community. It is impossible to change non-modifiable risk variables, which include a person's age, gender, and genetic composition. Thus, behavior, biomedical, and social variables all contribute to overall health.