The environment where people stay says a lot about their health status. The community analyzed in the case lived in a large metropolitan area and faced problems of eviction and poor housing. One of the major health problems likely to affect the community is carbon monoxide poisoning. Many residents use charcoal for cooking inside the apartments while most adults are smokers. Additionally, the congestion of apartments and lack of functional smoke and carbon monoxide detectors contribute to increased inhalation of carbon dioxide. Different sociocultural factors influence the presence of carbon monoxide poisoning. The social and cultural environment has a significant influence on the health outcome of the community.
Social and cultural factors influencing the health of a person or community include gender and sex roles, immigration status, ethnicity, and poverty (Hernandez and Blazer, 2006). The community consists of immigrants from South Asia, and their immigration status contributed to the emergence of the health problem. Property owners gave them less recognition because they were non-residents and the government was less concerned about their wellbeing. On the other hand, the level of poverty in the community denied them the ability to look for alternative housing. The income earned by those who were lucky to secure employment could only meet limited basic needs. Additionally, race and ethnic disparities led to disparities in income; hence, they cannot afford clean sources of fuel and ends up using charcoal.
The US government undertakes primary prevention measures such as the availability of income benefits and housing benefits that aim at preventing homelessness. However, the lack of efficiency and effectiveness of methods used to identify the homelessness causes a delay in such preventive measures. The ineffectiveness of the local housing authority in simplifying the process of reporting any code violation discourages residents from airing their concerns. Additionally, factors such as ethnicity and social beliefs discourage immigrants from seeking healthier places because they are afraid of leaving their ethnic enclaves.
References
Hernandez, L. M., and Blazer, D. G. (2006). The Impact of Social and Cultural Environment on
Health in Genes, Behavior, and Social Environment. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US).
