BlessWorld Foundation International

Affecting the World Through Health
A Global Health Initiative

Health and Income

18.09.2016

Blog

Do you know that our income can determine our health? yes, we may not be able to afford some basic needs due to the amount of money we make. Let’s look at a quick illustration…

Mr. A was admitted to the hospital…

Why was he admitted?

He was admitted because he has cholera…

Why does he have cholera?

He has cholera because he drank water contaminated by the infectious agent, Vibrio cholerae…

Why was his drinking water contaminated?

His drinking water was contaminated because he lives in the dirtiest and poorest part of the city…

Why does he live in that part of the city?

He lives in that part of the city because that is what he can afford based on his INCOME!

Now, if we meet Mr. A in the hospital and he tells us he has cholera, we will not immediately understand the basic reason why he has the disease. However, if we can ask the question, “why?” a few times in every health situation, we will discover that they are usually rooted in one or more of the social determinants of health. Even though it’s not immediately obvious, income is a major determinant of heath and a root cause of health disparities.

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