Exploring the Determinants of Health
Zach’s Ceremony remains a deeply-personal coming-of-age tale regarding the boy, Zach held between two worlds; that of the city and outback, black against white, and the battles between son and father, however, at its centre, the film highlights on the identity and race issues.
The director of this film, Aaron Petersen, invites the audience to truly submerge themselves into the world of Zach and observe it via the boy’s eyes. In this documentary, I hear a thirteen-year-old Zach Doomadgee saying that he is referred to as a “blackfella” in Sydney while he is referred to as a “whitefella” in Doomadgee. And he proceeds to say that he does not know who he is. This film was following Zach via the battles of his teenage era, his trials to relink his Indigenous roots via the initiation rites and on this way to establish who he is (his identity).
The director of the film asserts that he hopes his viewers would walk away with something from the documentary and have a better comprehension that Indigenous culture remains alive in Australia and need to be embraced irrespective of the race. It a film that brings to the limelight the challenges facing non-Indigenous director preparing a film regarding Indigenous issues, how the documentary is fitting into a broader discourse of Indigenous culture and race.
- Health Determinants and Effects on Population and Individual Health
Various factors merge to influence the community and individual’s health. Whether individual stay healthy or unhealthy is determined by their conditions and environment. Factors like where a person resides, the environmental state, level of income, genetics, level of education, and relationship with family and friends, to a greater degree, have considerable influence on health, while the more regarded factors like access alongside healthcare services use frequently have less of the influence (Adler et al., 2016). The primary health determinants are the social and economic environment, physical environment, as well as the persons, own behaviours and characteristics (Braveman & Gottlieb, 2014).
The individual’s lives’ context determines their health, and hence blaming people for leading poor health or even crediting individuals for better health remains unsuitable. People are not likely to have the ability to control various health determinants directly (Kickbusch, 2015). Such determinants or even the factors making individuals unhealthy or healthy- encompass the overhead variables, and several other variables including:
Privileges: The privileges accorded to some people will determine their health. A person with privileges to access and use health services will have better health as opposed to a person who lacks such privileges. Moreover, privileges brings the disparity in health status of the entire population since some people are discriminated against and hence lack privileges to access and use health services.
Cultural Identity and Racism: The cultural identity is a major factor in health determination. Some cultures are discriminated against while others are treated as superior. Therefore, where a person identifies with a superior culture, he will have better health than a person who is considered to be from an inferior culture. The population is also affected by the cultural identity since population that is considered to be of superior culture will have better health than that with inferior culture. Racism determines the cultural superiority and it is the basis upon which people of a given culture are discriminated against and hence subjected to poor health as they can access and use desired health services.
Factors that Influence Health
Income level and Social Status: The higher level of income and social status are connected to good health (Roe, Aspinall & Ward Thompson, 2016). The bigger the disparity between the poorest and the richest individuals, the larger the healthy differences (Koshoedo, Paul-Ebhohimhen, Jepson & Watson, 2015).
Level of Education: A low level is associated with poor health with increased stress alongside low-self-confidence (Stephanie, Hill, Ricks, Bennet & Oriol, 2017).
Physical Environment: Good health requires clean air to breath and safe water to drink for individuals and the entire population. Moreover, healthy workplaces and safe houses improves health of an individual. The conditions of work and employment also determine health since individuals who are employed stay healthier, especially those people with more control over their conditions of work (Marmot & Allen, 2014).
Social-support networks: People who enjoy greater friends, communities or families’ support are associated with good health. A people’s culture, especially traditions and customs, and the community and families’ beliefs all influence health (Mattocks, Kauth, Sandfort, Matza, Sullivan & Shipherd, 2014).
Genetics: Another integral part of lifespan determinant is the inheritance of genes. Genetics further determines healthiness as well as the probability of some disease’ development. The behaviour of a person as well as his skills of coping including balanced-eating, keeping a person active, drinking, smoking alongside how a person deals with challenges and stresses of life all influence health (Knight, Shoveller, Carson & Contreras-Whitney, 2014).
Health Services: An individual’s access alongside the use of health-services including prevention and treatment of illnesses dictate health (Greenwood, De Leeuw, Lindsay & Reading, 2015).
Gender: Women and men agonize from distinct kinds of illnesses at different stages and ages in their lifespan (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).
- Comparing and Contrasting My Wellbeing against Zach’s
The major themes in the film include alcohol (drinking), identity, ceremony, culture and then initiation rite. The film also seeks t demonstrate how significant initiation rite is, and the manner in which it needs to be embraced significantly in educational perspective. All these themes have links to determinants of health. Alcohol is specifically discussed within Doomadgee itself since there is a specific law, “Alcohol Management Plan” that limits alcohol, full-strength beer, wine as well as spirits-being taken within the community and family homes. It is a specific law, as it is called a plan and hence not quite a law yet police still enforce it. This law is particularly subject to 2 places in Queensland; Doomadgee being of the place.
From the perspective of the health determinants, it is clear that drinking alcohol is an element of genetics, which is a determinant of health. Drinking alcohol is a personal behaviour which leads to poor health. As has been seen in the film, Zach is drinking too much alcohol, and this accounts for his poor health. As opposed to myself, I do not take alcohol and, therefore, I am healthier than Zach. Thus, through this theme of alcohol alone, I can say that we have a difference in our wellbeing because I do not drink alcohol and healthier than Zach who has poor wellbeing arising from his too much involvement in alcohol.
Themes in Zach’s Ceremony
Another social determinant of health which is apparent in the film is culture identity and racism, and this sets our well-being apart. For example, while my culture has been embraced, Zach is still struggling with his identity as the Indigenous culture is never accepted and this leads to his poor health as they are discriminated. The film paints a picture of the creation of a belief that culture stays alive in Australia, and must be embraced to support better health for the Aboriginals who are the minorities irrespective of race. Thus, Alec who is a stronger believer in embracing this Indigenous culture, teaches us through this film that culture remains alive and must be adapted to the environment where one resides. This is why Alec has always placed culture as a major theme. This helps Alec demonstrate that there is no other race globally which has adapted more than Indigenous Australians within a short time.
Thus, we can use the cultural difference between Zach and me to explain why I have better health as compared to Zach because Zach’s culture is not embraced and he is hence locked away from benefiting from better health services. Thus, we are urged in the film that irrespective of how we adopt the culture, we should embrace culture with what we know and then it is all about getting to move forward and never let it go. Thus, the fill teaches strongly regarding the significance of culture and how we need to embrace it in Australia as a nation and has to be taught in the future generation as well as respected. This will make us break down every stereotype that currently exists which only make the minority to be of poor well-being (Baum, 2016).
As opposed to myself who did not have to face all the challenges like Zach, my wellbeing was good and straightforward. Zach has poor health arising from his struggle to navigate his culture as well as the contemporary world’s distractions. Like every teenager, Zach has to reach his rebellious era whereby complications emerge alongside anger at such issues as racism he has to face. Unlike me, I did not take much time trying to search for my balance like Zach in his communities. This is an extremely difficult and confusing position whereby Zach is feeling extremely white to be accepted by his friends and family and even extremely black for his own inner-city peers (Gil-González et al., 2015).
From this, we can realize the differences in well-being between Zach and me. The difference is that unlike me who had enough social-support networks, Zach lacked a social support network. This is why he feels friends and family members cannot accept him since he is too white while he cannot be accepted by inner-city peers because he is too black and this leads to his poor health. This is because it is true that people who enjoy greater friends, communities or families’ support like myself are associated with good health. For me, I was easily accepted in my family, community and friends and even my inner city peers and, therefore, I was able to have better health than Zach.
- Reflection
Alcohol and Health
I will be reflecting on my experiences, thoughts as well as emotions as I was watching Zach’s Ceremony and considering certain strategies that could result in better health outcomes for individuals from minority and disadvantage group.
As I was watching this film, I felt disturbed at the trials and struggles that Zach had to go through in his life to get his identity. The main theme I got from this film is what Alec was trying to put across and the reason for such a theme. I was able to identify the particular impact that Alec was attempting to accomplish via the film. I came to understand that Alec wanted us to walk away with something novel even if it is only a little thing. This could be whether the audience can learn what Country they are standing on or what local language or even individuals from the nation are, this is the beginning of respect as well as acknowledgment. I was able to understand that Alec needed a change to embrace Zach’s culture and even integrate it in the education system. This was essential for the coming generations as well as how they will be embracing it all and discuss it with their respective parents. I came to realize that this film triggers a discussion about the need to ensure that we accept culture irrespective of the race so that we improve the well-being of people from all races and even the minorities and the disadvantaged.
This film has given me a desired and incredible transformation. Before watching this story, I was merely an individual, but after watching it, I have since been fully able to transition into a much better as well as educated alongside aware person. I currently comprehend the struggle and I can, at least, contribute something in my society to change and embrace culture irrespective of race. I am also able to share the effect through to my friends and family, and my larger circle. Observing how Zach was transformed despite his battles, and how Zach, as an individual, taught his family, and subsequently taught their families and friends, I am now able to influence many people to pay increased attention to Indigenous matters or issues and ensure that people embrace the story of Zach to improve their health and wellbeing.
Considering certain strategies that could result in better health outcomes for individuals from minority and disadvantaged group, there is a need for people to recognize the culture is alive and must be embraced irrespective of race. As seen, the wellbeing of Zach was worsened by his long battle for identity as he could not easily be accepted due to his race. This led Zach to involve himself in alcohol which only made his wellbeing and health wore. Therefore, there is a need for sufficient social support network which would ensure that friends, families and community give desired support to promote the health and wellbeing amongst the minorities and disadvantaged.
- Nurses’ Approaches towards the Delivery of Appropriate Culturally Safe Initiatives to Minorities and Disadvantaged Groups
Nurses need to focus on behaviour change rather than merely focusing on the treatment. As we have seen above, access and use of health services have less impact on health and wellbeing, unlike other health determinants. Therefore, for the nurse to provide culturally safe initiatives that deliver suitable services to clients from disadvantaged and minorities group, there is a need for behaviour change among people (Adler, Cutler & Fielding, 2016). This will be achieved through increased cultural competence among the nurses who will undertake an effective need assessment for these groups to have a clear image of what need to be offered to improve health and wellbeing (Garg, Toy, Tripodis, Silverstein & Freeman, 2015). By understanding cultural competence, the nurses will focus on enhancing the capacity of individuals to enhance their knowledge as well as an understanding of differences in culture and hence will be able to embrace each culture irrespective of race. When nurses acknowledge culture biases and assumptions, they will be able to influence individuals to begin changing their behaviour which is harmful to health like drinking alcohol. Thus, the nurse will make people more willing to make a change concerning their behaviours and thoughts thus addressing such biases and stereotypes (Aggarwal, Pieh, Dixon, Guarnaccia, Alegria & Lewis-Fernandez, 2016)
References
Adler, N. E., Cutler, D. M., Jonathan, J. E., Galea, S., Glymour, M., Koh, H. K., & Satcher, D. (2016). Addressing social determinants of health and health disparities. Vital Directions for Health and Health Care Initiative: National Academy of Medicine Perspectives.
Adler, N., Cutler, D., & Fielding, J. (2016). Vital Directions for Health: Addressing Health Disparities and Social Determinants of Health. Washington, DC: National Academy of Medicine.
Aggarwal, N. K., Pieh, M. C., Dixon, L., Guarnaccia, P., Alegria, M., & Lewis-Fernandez, R. (2016). Clinician descriptions of communication strategies to improve treatment engagement by racial/ethnic minorities in mental health services: a systematic review. Patient education and counseling, 99(2), 198-209.
Baum, F. (2016). The new public health (No. Ed. 4). Oxford University Press.
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Social determinants of health. Retrieved January, 6, 2015.
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