Professional paper

Social factors of disease

Lidija Gajski

Abstract

Both circumstances and conditions of human life, as defined by social environment, are considered as essential health factors. Recently, these factors are regarded as even more important. Social catastrophes, such as a war, significantly affect population health. During a peacetime, human life conditions depend on both the wealth of the society and social-political system. In totalitarian regimes the population health is threatened by shortages of goods, and by physical and mental abuses, including massacring of people. Developed modern societies give optimal opportunities for long and healthy life. However, those societies differ between each other, as well, on the basis of economic and political structure and disparities are observable in the average income, range of salaries, extent of social differences, and functioning of health systems. All these parameters influence the health status and define the population that will be affected by risk of illness. Modern society has not eradicated poverty and inequality. Just as hundred or two hundred years ago, it seems that these categories are still responsible, in spite of different epidemiology and better life conditions, for the most of the contemporary pathology.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

22337

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/22337

Publication date:

22.11.2007.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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