Delmendo, Christine A.

2DPH

08/20/15
HETAR

Economics With Taxation and Land Reforms

by: Roel B. Calano
Chapter 3
(Introduction to the Concept of Health)
Summary
Health originated from the Old English term heal which means whole which
indicates that health is not only just the absence of the disease but also the uprightness,
dependability or security of the whole person.
There are different individual elements of health namely: Physical health which
refers to the ability of the human body to function with vigor and alertness with enough
energy to engage with physical stress, Emotional health which is the capability to
convey emotions and build up and sustain relationships and other elements are Mental
health, Social health, Spiritual health and Sexual health.
Aside from the elements of health, there are also two atmospheres where health
can be calculated like Environmental and Societal health. Environmental health is
charaterized by ecological fitness such as air and water superiority and also the kind and
concreteness of the housing while the Social health is characterized by socio-economic
factors such as housing facilities as well as convenience and security of the people
around the area.
In seeking the determinants of what affects health, social scientists and
epidemiologists should compare atleast two variables: first, a measure of health, or
rather ill health such as mortality or morbidity, and secondly, a factor such as gender or
occupation that may account for the differences in health. The health status can be
accounted not only by one variable but it can also due to many factors interacting
together such as social stratification factors, environmental factors, lifestyle and
physiological factors. Researchers which have tried to identify the major determinants of
health and ill had focused on the links between social class and health. The classification
of social class was a scale of five occupational classes that ranges from professionals to
unskilled manual workers. Men of working age are the suited basis of this class.
Although it is not a perfect tool, it serves as an indicator of the way of life and living
standards experienced by different groups.
Income is also another determinant of health and standard of living. The range of
income can also affect the housing quality and the lack of availability of quality can
damage health. Cold and damp housing have been shown to contribute to illness.
Differences in levels of income can cause material and physiological deprivation and
may affect the psychological and behavioral aspects of ones life.
Gender, employment, ethnic minorities and place of residence are also some

factors in affecting health and quality of life.

Reflection:
There are so many factors that affect our health and may also affect our
productivity and manpower. It is like a cycle where you need health, to be employed, in
order to have an income, to have a quality housing and have a nutitious meal, so that you
will become physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, spiritually amd sexually healthy
for you to work again, have an income, have a nutritious meal, etc.
Health may be a factor of increasing productivity beause of manpower and
productivity, but it does not mean that it can make our economy up because there will
also be many factors to consider like the consuming of the products produced, the
government and many more.