The nonmedical elements that affect clinical outcomes are social determinants of health. Conditions under which a person is born grows, works, and lives significantly impact their health, productivity, and quality of life. Consequently, there are significant gaps in healthcare access and medical outcomes. Additionally, people who do not have easy access to grocery stores with a wide selection of nutritious foods are less likely to be healthy consumers (Hall 586). Unemployed people are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and unhealthy eating habits. The distance and gap between the rich and the poor in society widen as job insecurity and low income become more prevalent. Individuals struggling with economic stability often find work in poor conditions and receive low wages. This paper focuses on economic stability as a social determinant of health.
Low-income families have a difficult task regarding affording healthy dietary options. Global food price issue poses a serious threat to public health, especially to the most vulnerable populations, including women, the black community, children, the elderly, and low-income households. People’s health and well-being depend on a stable economy that allows them to make good lifestyle choices and afford adequate medical care (Hall 588). Food security and healthy consumption depend on having consistent, well-paying employment. Chronic illnesses and unexpected events need emergency funds; therefore, everyone should have some money set aside for these situations. Feeding America is the largest non-profit organization in the US dedicated to combating hunger. To overcome the challenge of hunger in the United States of America, this organization has been delivering food to those in need for the past 35 years through a statewide system of 200 food stores, including 60000 pantries and feeding programs.
The black community consumes more energy, saturated and trans fats, sodium and added sugars, and less fiber, vitamins, and calcium. Across all genders and ages, the average daily calorie intake exceeds nutritional guidelines. Attributable to these dietary patterns and socioeconomic gaps, the black community may be particularly exposed to poor-quality diets and deficiency of nutrients. Diet-related chronic diseases and disorders, including type II diabetes, heart diseases, obesity, high blood pressure, and cancer, are more common in poor people (Hall 589). People of African descent, for example, get hypertension earlier in life, have higher blood pressure levels on average, and are less likely to get treatment for it.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a government plan that promotes food assistance for low- and no-income families. The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) oversees the program, while individual state governments are responsible for disbursing payments (for example, the Department of Health and Human Services and Division of Social Services). SNAP addresses the economic stability social determinant of health with the quantity of assistance granted to a household based on the family’s income, size, and expenses (Higashi et al. 1029). Every month, SNAP funds are automatically transferred to the household’s Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) credit account. Beneficiaries can use EBT to purchase food at superstores, retail outlets, and other places that sell it (including farmers’ markets).
Food justice is the program’s goal, but it solely works with the recipients to meet their food purchasing needs. Despite this, it merely offers monetary assistance and no guidance on maintaining a healthy diet. Several proposals have been made to limit SNAP funds from being utilized to buy “unhealthy food” or “luxury products” deemed unsuitable for low-income households. Due to administrative burdens and personal freedom concerns, Congress and the USDA have consistently rejected such ideas. The term “healthy” does not have any federally mandated definition. Nearly 75% of the monetary worth of food consumed by SNAP households comprises fruits, vegetables, grains, meat, and animal products (Higashi et al. 1033). Sweetened beverages, snacks, and junk food account for roughly a quarter of the food budgets of SNAP recipients.
SNAP continues to work toward improving the economy and agriculture business, over and above assisting its members who strain to afford food. Because of its origins with the USDA and its ties to bills and legislation, the program serves more as a political instrument than a platform that acts devotedly. SNAP was initially designed to help farmers earn a living wage (Higashi et al. 1034). Restricting “unhealthy food” purchases with SNAP to promote healthy consumption, as well as a credit or rebate scheme that makes nutritious foods like fresh vegetables and fruits more affordable, should be considered by the USDA. Making sweetened drinks and other unhealthy foodstuffs ineligible for SNAP purchasing will promote public health.
With $500000 to support SNAP, it would be prudent to improve the dietary quality of beneficiaries by starting nutrition-sensitive centers. In such establishments, the less fortunate and people with nutrient deficiency would get a feeding program and start healthy consumption education sessions. The program’s beneficiaries would be encouraged to give back to society after they have successfully completed the sessions by creating a mentoring plan for other community members. The entire American society would eventually benefit from the program through such institutions. This support would ensure that the program addresses overall dietary quality and boosts the self-esteem of the less fortunate in society.
Works Cited
Hall, Yoshio. “Social Determinants of Health: Addressing Unmet Needs in Nephrology.” American Journal of Kidney Diseases, vol. 72, no. 4, 2018, pp. 582-591.
Higashi, Robin, et al. “Experiences of Increased Food Insecurity, Economic and Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-enrolled Food Pantry Clients.” Public Health Nutrition, vol. 25, no. 4, 2022, pp. 1027-1037.