Question

1. How ‘healthy’ is your city/town and why do you think this?
2. What are the connections between your town/city and social determinants of health such as poverty, education, violence and so forth?
3. What policies need to change to make your city/town more healthy
4. What do you think about Evelyne's point about not calling physical isolation 'social distancing'? in Saudi Arabia

Answer 1

1. My hometown is a place calicut. It’s located in the southern part of india. Calicut is a very old place, with some buildings that date back hundreds of years, including a castle and a cathedral. Nowadays, it is mostly famous for its business and tourist place. These days, people in calicut engage in various occupations, but as it is located near the sea shore, there are lots of fishermen here. Some people may work in shops or other businesses. However, there is no major industry in calicut and no factories there. There are a lot of tourists, so I suppose at least some people must work within the tourist industry. In terms of climate, calicut has a good climate, we have almost four seasons here. Rainy season is most lengthy season.I have not lived in my hometown for many years because I moved away after university, but I still have a certain fondness for it. I go back once every year or two and I enjoy walking around the streets, or strolling along the beach. It is a very pleasant place for walking and being among the old buildings brings back fond memories. I think my home town is healthy. we have a good infrastructure and a good health systems.

2. Social determinants of health are conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. Conditions (e.g., social, economic, and physical) in these various environments and settings (e.g., school, church, workplace, and neighborhood) have been referred to as “place.”5 In addition to the more material attributes of “place,” the patterns of social engagement and sense of security and well-being are also affected by where people live. Resources that enhance quality of life can have a significant influence on population health outcomes. Examples of these resources include safe and affordable housing, access to education, public safety, availability of healthy foods, local emergency/health services, and environments free of life-threatening toxins. By working to establish policies that positively influence social and economic conditions and those that support changes in individual behavior, we can improve health for large numbers of people in ways that can be sustained over time. Improving the conditions in which we live, learn, work, and play and the quality of our relationships will create a healthier population, society, and workforce.So i belive that poverty, education, violence are all inter connected. In a good town/city we have to understand the relationship between how population groups experience “place” and the impact of “place” on health is fundamental to the social determinants of health—including both social and physical determinants.

3. Policies to make my city smart is to use of technology, but would still be dumb if it does not provide a livable environment for its inhabitants and if it harms the ecosystem in which it’s built. Political decision-makers of opposing parties should not try to block each other’s’ projects but should fund projects that will ultimately make their cities more livable and sustainable and make their inhabitants healthier, happier and more connected to nature. And being more connected to nature also means city dwellers would need to adapt to more diverse ecosystems – such as more insects while sitting on the balcony, a raccoon digging through the trash or wild plants growing in one’s garden. So, the idea of the future city should be broadened – not just a smart city, but first and foremost a sustainable city, that’s inhabitant-centric and working to minimize its environmental impact.

4. I strongly oppose evelyne's point about not calling physical isolation,social distancing in Saudi Arabia. Because this can reduce the community spread of an infecteous deadly disease. We have many proven datas to follow this steps. Even though social distancing and physical isolation can cause social anxiety, depression, loneliness, substance abuse, or other health problems.These poblems can be minimised with the help of various technologies. We are fortunate to live in an era where technology will allow us to see and hear our friends and family, even from a distance.