Introduction
The social determinants of health are a collection of outside factors that shape and determine the overall health of people, communities, and higher authorities. These factors include how a person works, develops, lives, and ages, affecting how well they can prosper, accomplish their goals, and adapt to their surroundings. Although there are many obstacles in the way of individuals, poverty impacts the economy negatively. As a result, implementing the basic income idea would give people enough money to hide this problem’s true nature.
This paper aims to recognize the critical health factors—income, stress, and social exclusion—that impact those who suffer from food insecurity. The goal is also to understand the benefits and potential pitfalls of a basic income and how it might lessen current social inequities. To effectively reduce inequalities and improve people’s health, it is crucial to comprehend the origin and effect of these factors and conceptualize implications, such as supporting justice, equity, and advocacy.
Health Disparity
The chosen health disparity is food poverty, which is crucial today. Income is the most significant predictor of health since it affects the quality of other factors, such as a person’s access to fundamental necessities, governs physiological reactions, and handles health-related outcomes, including food. The price of poverty has made low-income people more prone to illnesses, thus making their life expectancies shorter (Donkin et al., 2018).
One of the best indicators of a society’s general health is a more equitable distribution of money. For instance, children from low-income areas are 95% more likely to eat fast food regularly (Donkin et al., 2018, p. e000603). Another study from the European Union confirmed that consistently low dietary alternatives hurt academic performance and school attendance (Recalde et al., 2019). Thus, for a comprehensive assessment, the data collected is taken from both sources describing the situation in the United States and others related to different nations and regions.
Significance of the Health Disparity
Parents who struggle to support their families adequately may experience increased stress, which can significantly change their feelings and attitudes, affecting how they parent. Additionally, this may harm the child’s cognitive and psychosocial development (Kolak et al., 2020). Stress harms families on a large scale, but it has also been shown to frighten people individually (Kolak et al., 2020). In 2012, 19% of Americans said they stressed out a lot about being able to buy nourishing meals each year (Kolak et al., 2020, p. e1919928).
The desired effect is only sometimes achieved despite techniques attempting to address excluded communities’ concerns. Notably, individuals who frequent food banks have been linked to feelings of extreme stress and guilt. The stigma associated with seeking help may explain why fewer than 25% of people who are food insecure use food banks (Hunter & Flores, 2021, p. 272). Low-income people who experience high stress levels are more likely to use the healthcare system frequently (Chang, 2019). Implementing a basic income might reduce hospitalization rates, eliminate the need for food banks, and lower mental health difficulties nationwide.
Given the effects of stress on health, it is crucial to understand social support structures that enable and relieve society to maximize each person’s potential. On the other hand, social exclusion works against the strength of togetherness and has evolved into a problem that incites unrest by creating a sense of helplessness, worthlessness, and incompetence (Chang, 2019). This act of social denial is also closely linked to criminal activity, low income, unemployment, and chronic illnesses (Plan et al., 2022). Furthermore, by limiting access to economic, social, and cultural resources, social exclusion denies certain people the freedom to participate in life freely (Sharma et al., 2018).
Concerning food insecurity, many people from food-insecure homes reported poor health and little social support (Shah et al., 2020). Therefore, only being able to purchase meals deficient in nutrition can harm cognitive performance. Due to this, students with insufficient education would be severely hindered from finding a stable career, which would impact how future wealth is distributed.
Mechanisms That Lead to Food Poverty
Since household food insecurity is a symptom of poverty, a lack of a stable source of income can deprive people and families of vital nutrients and liquids. An insufficient income will force families to buy affordable things despite the sinful lifestyle accompanying them (Singu et al., 2020). Despite the subsequent poor dietary nutrition, research shows that food-insecure households favor economical, filling meals.
Notably, depression symptoms among female university students appeared in 2017 due to the inability to offer healthy substitutes (Singu et al., 2020). Similarly, regular use of bad foods has been shown to cause serious health problems. Given the situation, adding a basic income would enable communities to maintain a reasonable living level by allowing access to necessities like rent, food, and services (De Lew & Sommers, 2022).
However, the long-term goal of a society without hunger would be feasible, allowing everyone to achieve a healthy well-being level (Nutbeam & Lloyd, 2021). Despite the significant influence that wealth has on the health of food-insecure people, stress is more frequently a second factor that exhibits the living conditions of vulnerable populations (Nutbeam & Lloyd, 2021). The consequences of stress on the body have been misunderstood for a long time.
Nevertheless, studies have shown chronic stress can impair hormone and metabolic functions and diminish disease resistance (Nutbeam & Lloyd, 2021). Additionally, stressful circumstances are strongly linked to great exhaustion, humiliation, insecurities, and raised anxiety. Stress might negatively impact a family’s overall performance when it comes to food insecurity.
Possible Intervention
One of the potentially effective initiatives to address the issue in question and reduce the threat of the spread of food poverty is to provide the vulnerable population with a basic income. According to Banerjee et al. (2019), compulsory financial assistance the state offers is a common practice in many countries. This type of intervention can be based on flexible assistance to the population. For instance, involving sponsors as donors may be a relevant solution to reduce the burden on the federal budget.
As Fernald and Gosliner (2019) argue, in the context of existing class inequalities and other social problems, providing such assistance is an adequate step to support those segments of the population who do not have a stable income for various reasons. Accompanying assistance methods, such as establishing a volunteering system and involving various stakeholders, are additional tools to strengthen the possibilities of using a basic income as a key intervention mechanism.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using a Basic Income
One of the key strengths of the proposed basic income strategy is the prospect of raising general healthcare levels, which is also associated with minimizing federal spending. In addition, from an ethical perspective, this type of assistance is morally sound, and many democratic political forces promote this form of support to vulnerable populations (Roosma & Van Oorschot, 2020). At the same time, this way of addressing the problem under consideration may be associated with some disadvantages.
For instance, Standing (2020) notes that budget spending can be substantial, and for many of the world’s economies, allocating funds for such purposes can be overwhelming. Moreover, when discussing the universal type of assistance, accompanying barriers may arise related to the incorrect or irrational distribution of funds. The manipulation of state aid by individual citizens and families may result from misusing such subsidies. Therefore, maintaining a balance in aid is crucial, and appropriate oversight initiatives are relevant.
Conclusion
Along with factors like stress, social marginalization, and income, food insecurity harms people’s health. The destruction of these determinants can be seen in the detrimental effects on health, destructive psychological issues, the denial of educational and cognitive chances, and the deprivation of basic human needs. The findings from the sources show that the problem affects many people globally, including children.
However, introducing basic income might significantly lessen these difficulties by providing people with a fixed amount to cover recipients’ most basic requirements, lower hospitalization rates, and strengthen communities through enhanced social support. The involvement of various stakeholders and public structures as sponsors is one of the favorable prospects for implementing such a strategy. Despite the difficulties of organizing such a format of assistance, for instance, the burden on the national economy, this initiative could improve the overall level of healthcare, thereby favorably influencing the federal budget.
References
Banerjee, A., Niehaus, P., & Suri, T. (2019). Universal basic income in the developing world. Annual Review of Economics, 11, 959-983. Web.
Chang, C. D. (2019). Social determinants of health and health disparities among immigrants and their children. Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 49(1), 23–30. Web.
De Lew, N., & Sommers, B. D. (2022). Addressing social determinants of health in federal programs. JAMA Health Forum, 3(3), e221064-e221064. Web.
Donkin, A., Goldblatt, P., Allen, J., Nathanson, V., & Marmot, M. (2018). Global action on the social determinants of health. BMJ Global Health, 3(Suppl 1), e000603. Web.
Fernald, L. C., & Gosliner, W. (2019). Alternatives to SNAP: Global approaches to addressing childhood poverty and food insecurity. American Journal of Public Health, 109(12), 1668-1677. Web.
Hunter, A. A., & Flores, G. (2021). Social determinants of health and child maltreatment: A systematic review. Pediatric Research, 89(2), 269-274. Web.
Kolak, M., Bhatt, J., Park, Y. H., Padrón, N. A., & Molefe, A. (2020). Quantification of neighborhood-level social determinants of health in the continental United States. JAMA Network Open, 3(1), e1919928. Web.
Nutbeam, D., & Lloyd, J. E. (2021). Understanding and responding to health literacy as a social determinant of health. Annual Review of Public Health, 42(1), 159-73. Web.
Plan, S., Invitations, W. A. F., & Bursary, V. S. R. P. (2022). Social determinants of health. Public Health.
Recalde, M., Peralta, A., Oliveras, L., Tirado-Herrero, S., Borrell, C., Palència, L., Gotsens, M., Artazcoz, L., & Marí-Dell’Olmo, M. (2019). Structural energy poverty vulnerability and excess winter mortality in the European Union: Exploring the association between structural determinants and health. Energy Policy, 133. Web.
Roosma, F., & Van Oorschot, W. (2020). Public opinion on basic income: Mapping European support for a radical alternative for welfare provision. Journal of European Social Policy, 30(2), 190-205. Web.
Shah, G. H., Shankar, P., Schwind, J. S., & Sittaramane, V. (2020). The detrimental impact of the COVID-19 crisis on health equity and social determinants of health. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 26(4), 317-319. Web.
Sharma, M., Pinto, A. D., & Kumagai, A. K. (2018). Teaching the social determinants of health: A path to equity or a road to nowhere?Academic Medicine, 93(1), 25-30. Web.
Singu, S., Acharya, A., Challagundla, K., & Byrareddy, S. N. (2020). Impact of social determinants of health on the emerging COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Frontiers in Public Health, 8, 406. Web.
Standing, G. (2020). Battling eight giants: Basic income now. Bloomsbury Publishing.