Occupation & Income Status

A person’s occupation and income status are social environment factors that can weigh heavily on an individual.

A person that has a low-income occupation may not be able to afford certain aspects that keep an individual healthy. This may include clean housing and nutritious foods that are typically more costly.

Unfortunately, many people have defined themselves around the type of job they have or how much money they make. For example, some may believe that the higher your salary, the higher your level of importance is.

On top of this, those that tend to have higher salaries only surround themselves with people that have a similar income. The same is true for the person that has a lower income. We tend to surround ourselves with others that are on the same playing field as us.

Therefore, our diversification is limited. This creates a culture that can be closed-minded and limits our social relationships to a certain type of people.

Our limited diversification and closed-mindedness then bleed into other aspects of our social environment. Eventually, this can lead to the development of a whole community that has a low-income status.

Education

Living in areas where the social climate is not healthy can lead to a decline in literacy. The school systems may not be structured well, or the classroom environment may not be conducive to learning. Government funding for the school may also be limited, which limits educational resources the school has to offer. This, ultimately, leads to a lack of education.

One of the problems with poor social environments is that the factors tend to be interconnected and related. For example, a poor school system that is not doing well at educating students results in a lack of ability to acquire a well-paying career. Students may not receive a quality life-skill, resulting in a low-income occupation.

Family & Friends

One’s family and friends are other factors that play into social environment and health.

The people that we are surrounded by often define the culture that we are raised in. Our culture often determines our mindset, and in turn, our futures. A poor home environment can have serious long-term effects on a child.

Social Environment and Weight Gain

Study’s have found that obesity is more prevalent among lower-income communities. There are a few reasons to back this claim up.

The first being that those in these lower-income neighborhoods cannot purchase nutritious foods. Healthier foods typically cost more than foods that have low quality. Therefore, fast food may be the only viable option for some families.

Fast foods are, generally, high in carbs, sodium, and unhealthy fats while not containing the proper amount of protein. 

The second potential reason social environment factors affect health through weight gain is the access to parks and recreational facilities.

Social Environment and Mental Health

Social Environment and Disease Onset