ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND HEALTH EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
Abstract
This paper analyzes the environmental context of health. It discusses the contribution of environmental factors to the etiology of major diseases. The environment, as defined by the World Health Organization, focuses on the external forces that can be modified (WHO, 2006). It excludes lifestyles and behaviors, but recognizes how these external forces shape lifestyles and behaviors through access to these external forces.
Environmental factors can be very significant in health. Access to clean and safe water, safe home and working environment, toxics, air pollution, and climate change are among the factors detrimental to health. In line with this, the most susceptible to the environmental impact are young children. Also, there is a significant number of mortality rate recorded a few years ago because of environmental risks. There are prevalent issues and gaps concerning environmental health; thus, comprehensive actions must be implemented at the various levels to address these.
Introduction
The environment plays a crucial role in ensuring public health. Apart from genetics, lifestyle and cultural practices, the health situation and the etiology of diseases are also affected by the environment. As defined by the World Health Organization, “the environment is all the physical, chemical, and biological factors external to a person, and all the related behaviors (WHO, 2006).”
This definition explains that external factors that may cause or may impact the physical health conditions of people such as access to water, sanitation, and health (WASH), pollution, home and occupational health, climate change among others. Studies conducted by the WHO have reported that a great number of mortality rates at the global and regional levels can be attributed to unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation practices, and air pollution in the indoor and outdoor areas (WHO, 2006).
In addition, health-related behaviors can also be affected by the environment. For instance, lack of access to water and proper sanitation could foster unhygienic practices such as irregular bathing, irregular laundry, or skipping of hand-washing before eating. The availability of cigarettes and prohibited drugs may induce substance abuse, not to mention, the users’ contribution to air pollution and production of second hand smoke.
Indeed, the environment can affect a myriad of conditions ranging from physical, behavioral, psychological or mental, social, and cultural health. This study would further on the context of the environment and how it influences health across sectors.
Synopsis
Promoting public health entails understanding of various factors that impact health-related behaviors, practices, and disease etiology. Historically, the environment is believed to be one of the contributory factors as to why people practice certain behaviors to prevent the spread of diseases, reduce epidemics, or promote sanitation in communities. As early as 2500 years ago, Hippocrates has noted the need to comprehensively investigate on the myriad of factors that concerns health. These factors include health, diet, and behavior, among many others. At every point in history, there have been developments in the field of public health that specifically targeted concerns such as reduction of epidemics, environmental sanitation, and social and environmental risk factors for infectious diseases.
The WHO’s definition of environment integrates all the external conditions but excludes natural conditions that cannot be altered. This explains an important consideration, namely, intervention, which could be done to prevent or mitigate its impact. Among the considerably external conditions that can be intervened include: home, occupational health and safety, potable water, sanitation, air quality, toxics and chemical usage, community health, nutrition, and the emergence of climate change.
These environmental conditions require comprehensive approaches that would ensure prevention or mitigation of possible detrimental effects to physical and even psychological health. For instance, diarrhea can be prevented if there is access to clean water and proper sanitation practices. It can be done through thorough hand-washing or presence of clean latrines in communities. Another example would be environmental change which may cause an increase of 250, 000 deaths from the period of 2030 to 2050. Programs that push for reduction of emissions of greenhouse gasses through development in food, energy, and transport may reduce air pollution or improved health (WHO, 2015).
A comprehensive understanding of the impact of the environment to public can serve as a framework for agencies and advocates to push for programs that would benefit a mass of people.
Environmental Factors that Impact Health
How significant is the environment to health? The answer is very significant. The World Health Report in 2004 has estimated that 24% of disease burden and 23% of mortality rates at the global level could be linked to the environment. In addition, the environmental risk has played a part to the 102 major diseases. 85 of which can be attributed to the environmental factors. The environmental exposures and access to health care also contributed to prevalence of disease conditions across the regions (WHO, 2006). These statistics may be just estimates but it indicates the role of the environment in susceptibility of adults and children across the globe to major diseases which leads to deaths or inability to return to their normal functioning.
The environmental factors that impact health include:
Home environment: Houses must be built to serve as safe dwelling for families. A healthy home environment means access of family members of drinking water, sanitation, toxic-free materials, and protection from hazards. It must be fire-proof, be away from earthquake fault lines and volcanoes, and flood-free. Its wirings must also be properly installed. The material composition of the house must be toxic-free. It must also be protected from insects that may transmit diseases (Jacobsen, 2008).
Water: Access to water is a basic human right. This means every human being is entitled to clean and safe water for drinking and other purposes. Water must be free from bacteria, virus, and other contaminating agents. The right amount of water must be accessed through various means that is provided by governments or organizations. It must be easily accessed, reliable, and most importantly, free or at least can be afforded by the majority (Jacobsen, 2008).
Sanitation: Proper sanitation practices must be implemented through the availability of latrines, which must have access to water, as well; however, the latrines must be away from the food and water supply to avoid contamination. Proper disposal or flush must be ensured to avoid generation of flies which may cause further diseases (Jacobsen, 2008).
Air Quality: Cigarette smoke, gas, and engines can cause pollution. One way of improving air quality is to pass measures regulating the tobacco consumption, and the use of energy. Planting more trees can also reduce the carbon emissions (Jacobsen, 2008).
Occupational Safety: Work environment can be hazardous to many workers in all aspects: physical, psychological, biological, chemical and mechanical. Proper policies on safety and access to health services including counseling can facilitate occupational safety among workers working in a challenging environment (Jacobsen, 2008).
Toxics: Exposure to chemicals that have carcinogens or teratogens or have hazardous effects can lead to terminal illnesses Materials used on a daily basis such as make-up can have chemical content that may cause harm to health. Food and other supplies may also contain chemicals which could be harmful to health. Banning of products that possess harmful chemicals can be done at the local to the international level (Jacobsen, 2008).
Community-health: Fostering a safe, secure and disciplined community can reduce the impact of diseases, not for only for physical health but to psychological health. An organized community enhances the role of its members to become active key players in community health (Jacobsen, 2008).
Climate Change: The WHO has reported that climate change affects health because it affects the access to clean air and potable water, food security, and secure settlement. Climate change may have a high level of gravity as it brings an imminent threat to survival; however, climate change can be mitigated. Apart from policies, decisive actions on planning for food security, reduction of carbon emission, and sustaining forests are some of the few measures that can be considered (WHO, 2015).
Who is the most affected of all these environmental risk? The answer is children. The WHO reported that the environment health burden is estimated of about five times greater than the total number of population. The explanation is simple: more children do not have enough access to services which could have saved their lives from diarrhea, malaria, and respiratory problems significantly through the contribution of environmental factors.
My Role in Improving or Eliminating Environmental Barriers to Health
Prevention and mitigation are key intervention strategies that could address the gaps to health. Both governmental and private institutions can implement or support initiatives and programs for health; however, this must be done complementary to the on-going programs. The key is to develop the existing strategies and plan new programs should there be a need to.
I have a crucial role in addressing the environmental barriers by working hand-in-hand with the academe and community. Like any other professions, the health sector must be proactive in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating programs that would yield positive results to communities. Specifically, I can contribute in the following initiatives:
Awareness-raising: One of the major activities to promote health is to raise the awareness of communities on the impact of environment to their health. It is important that they understand the etiology of diseases, how the environment contributes to their health condition, and what they must do to reduce the negative effects of environmental factors. I can also help in crafting materials which could provide information about health hazards and promotion of safety.
Advocacy: Change, whether personal or institutional, is crucial to attaining long-term impacts of prevention or mitigation. Advocating reforms can encourage influential people such as policymakers, to initiate cost-efficient and sustainable measures. In schools, we can push for more strict regulations in terms of products that can be used or even regulations to ban smoking.
Research: Further research on the impact of the environment to health can provide a useful data to improve access to services. It would also serve as baseline information for other practitioners who would like to keep abreast of the developments in health. Research would also complement advocacy since the information provided by research can support the advocacy.
Aside from these three, I can also commit in promoting the rights to access to clean and safe drinking water, adequate sanitation facilities, and organizing my fellow students to become proactive in environmental health. Commitment and sincerity are important virtues that must be cultivated to achieve more gains that would yield benefits to the people and eventually, secure our future. The key is to comprehensively analyze and address the issues and gaps to avoid further negative impacts to the wide populace.
Summary/Conclusion
Environmental health emphasizes the aspects of physical environment and all-related external forces that can be altered, changed or modified. Factors such as home, water, sanitation, toxics, among others contribute to the causes of diseases and health-related behaviors. Historically, it has been proven that the environment is one of the subjects for further studies because of its impact to human beings. In this study, it has proven that the impact of environment to health not only has several effects, but can also be an avenue for further changes and advocacy at various levels. Comprehensive measures on environmental health must be adopted to address the issues and gaps.
References
Jacobsen, K. H. (2008). Introduction to Global Health. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Pub.
World Health Organization. (2006). Preventing disease through healthy environments: Towards an estimate of the environmental burden of disease. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/quantifying_ehimpacts/publications/prevdisexecsume.pdf?ua=1
World Health Organization. (2015). WHO | Climate change and health. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs266/en/
