Social determinants of health: the indicators for measuring the impact of poverty on health

Social determinants of health: the indicators for measuring the impact of poverty on health Introduction: The link between poverty and health is an important research topic of national and international organisations, including the WHO, which has issued several important reports that proved the impact of social determinants on people's health, of which poverty was one of the most important. The aim of this article is to define the indicators of the social determinants of health, which is important for better planning and policy-making. Method: data was gathered through the comparative analysis of different sources of socioeconomic indicators, which are presented schematically, ranked in the structural field and analysed from the perspective of their impact on health. Results: Indicators are divided into ten different fields that present a socioeconomic determinant of health. The fields are: material deprivation (including income and other material items necessary for everyday living), followed by social capital, (un)employment, housing and homelessness, education and profession, living environment, health, crime and safety, accessibility and ethnicity. The table includes 100 indicators that are used in various states for planning and policy-making. The extent and diversity of the indicators shows the complexity of the social determinants of health, which are often overlooked or are insufficiently understood. Conclusion: Poverty is a structural problem with an important impact on health. Because living in poverty is a specific way of life, ways of tackling the problem of poverty are also specific. They have to include relations of power, the accessibility of resources and opportunities to escape from the poverty. Health plays an important role in that but it depends on the capabilities and readiness of the states to ensure this for all people regardless of their social status, material wealth or other circumstances. The list of indicators can contribute to achieving that goal. Družbene Determinante Zdravja: Nabor Kazalnikov za Merjenje Vpliva Revščine na Zdravje Uvod: Povezava med revščino in zdravjem je vrsto let predmet proučevanja nacionalnih in mednarodnih organizacij, tudi WHO, ki je o tem izdal več poročil. Ugotovili so vpliv družbenih dejavnikov, še posebno revščine, na zdravje ljudi. Namen članka je opredeliti kazalnike družbenega vpliva na zdravje, ker je spremljanje vpliva pomembno za načrtovanje ustreznih politik. Metoda: Podatki so pridobljeni s primerjalno analizo različnih virov socialno-ekonomskih kazalnikov, ki so predstavljeni shematsko, razvrščeni v strukturna področja in analizirani z vidika njihovega vpliva na zdravje. Rezultati: Kazalniki so razvrščeni v deset področij, ki predstavljajo socialno-ekonomske determinante zdravja, in sicer materialno prikrajšanost, ki vključuje dohodek in za življenje nujne dobrine, socialni kapital, zaposlitev in brezposelnost, stanovanje in brezdomnost, izobraževanje in poklic, življenjsko okolje, zdravje, kriminal in varnost, dostopnost in etničnost. Vključenih je prek 100 kazalnikov, ki jih različne države uporabljajo za pregled stanja in načrtovanje politik. Obseg in raznolikost kazalnikov kažeta na kompleksnost družbenih vplivov na zdravje, ki so pogosto spregledani ali niso dovolj poglobljeno razumljeni. Zaključek: Revščina je družbenostrukturni problem, ki ima velik vpliv na zdravje. Ker je življenje v revščini specifično, so specifični tudi načini spopadanja z revščino, ki so odvisni od družbene moči, dostopnosti do virov in od možnosti za izhod iz revščine. Zdravje je pri tem ključen dejavnik, ki je odvisen od zmožnosti in pripravljenosti držav, da ga zagotovijo vsem, ne glede na družbeni položaj, materialne sposobnosti ali druge okoliščine. Nabor predstavljenih kazalnikov lahko pripomore k boljšemu spremljanju stanja in načrtovanju ustreznih politik.