Students may feel connected to the class, and a well-run class may in turn increase their feelings of connectedness . Social organization is affected by the degree of sprawl in a community; increased sprawl restricts the time and energy people have available for civic involvement and reduces the opportunities for spontaneous, informal social interactions. Sprawl also is associated with decreased use of public facilities, reducing opportunities to mingle with other people, segregating people, and disrupting continuity of community across the life span.

Some relate to behavioral issues, such as speeding, failing to yield to pedestrians at crossings, and driving while intoxicated; others relate to automobile design and features, including impact absorption, seat belts, air bags, and similar features. Public health interventions addressing these factors, from seat belts to traffic signals and from law enforcement to public education and the development of bike paths, have achieved dramatic reductions in injury and fatality rates .

School health programs have increased substantially over the past several decades in recognition of the connection between health and learning. The Institute of Medicine recommended in 1997 that all students in elementary, middle, and junior high school receive sequential health education to help shape their behaviors. The report noted that skills training, peer involvement, social learning theory, and community involvement have the greatest effect on school health education. Since adolescents typically spend a good deal of time away from their homes, explanations of neighborhood influences emanating from peer-based epidemics, role models, schools, and other neighborhood-based resources would appear to be more relevant for them than for younger children. Families are fundamental to children’s well-being and have a profound direct and indirect influence on the challenges they encounter and the resources available for their needs.

The lower socioeconomic communities may have a greater incidence of premature and low birth weight babies, higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. Poor people living in urban areas may have a diet consisting of cheap energy mainly from sugar-rich foods, with little intake of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. On the other hand, poor communities from rural areas might have intense physical activities, but not sufficient energy and protein. Interestingly, two determinants, nutrition and lifestyle, are totally in our hands, and hence are called modifiable factors. The degraded ecosystem, and environmental pollution are the causes of several disorders and diseases.

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Another way in which services influence health outcomes is to modify or reduce a disease or to promote a specific rehabilitation or habilitation process. For example, the lives of children with cystic fibrosis have been transformed and their prognoses improved as a result of service delivery systems that have lengthened life expectancy and improved functional capacity . Theory and popular perception have proposed that because television viewing involves so little mental effort, it retards cognitive development and the development of such academic skills as reading (Healy, 1990; Winn, 1985). In the case of television, there is a large body of theory and empirical data showing that both the content and form of television programs affect children’s intellectual development and social behavior . The basic ingredients of neighborhood social organization can also be present in schools, although the ratio of ingredients differs .

  • He is currently an associate professor for Rocky Mountain University of Health Professionals doctoral program in health promotion and wellness.
  • Dr. Nauert began his career as a clinical physical therapist and served as a regional manager for a publicly traded multidisciplinary rehabilitation agency for 12 years.
  • This chapter provides a summary of published literature and a framework for understanding those influences.
  • We divide these influences into biological, behavioral, and environmental even though our model of children’s health views their effects as highly intertwined and difficult to isolate.
  • Children’s health is determined by the interaction of a multitude of influences, reflecting complex processes.

The range of needed inputs is broad and includes material resources, time, interpersonal connections, and institutions that parents and communities may use to promote children’s development . Culturally, differing beliefs about normative development, appropriate parenting roles, and gender roles are important influences on the family (García Coll and Pachter, 2002) (see Box 3-3). While social influences are important for children of all ages, their nature and form change over the course of childhood. In this section we describe the dynamic nature of the constituents of children’s social environment and illustrate how these environmental influences manifest themselves. The determinants of motor-vehicle-related injuries and fatalities are well recognized.

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There also is evidence that mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods contribute to social capital, as measured by knowing one’s neighbors, participating in political life, trusting other how to lose weight fast people, and being socially active (Frumkin, 2002, 2003; Leyden, 2003). Schools can also have an effect on student behaviors, the ability to arrive at school ready to learn, and overall health.

With the help of powerful technology and screening methods, many disorders of genetic origin can be prevented. If one or more core determinants become weak, then only the support of medical care is needed. The policy environment also affects children’s health in less obvious ways.