Impacts on Education and Lifestyle

I think poverty exerts so much of an influence on health because it not only determines whether or not a person will have access to healthcare but it also determines how much access a person will have to education. I strongly believe that education is so fundamental in maintaining a healthy life both physically and mentally. Take Africa for example- it is a very poverty stricken country in which many villages believe that AIDS is transmitted through touch, thereby causing those affected to be alienated and shunned. This type of situation, which I could imagine takes a negative toll on the emotional health of those affected, could be avoided if the members of the community knew how in fact AIDS is transmitted. I therefore believe that education is key in promoting health at the individual, family, and community level. What we could do about this is organize more movements in which we educate community leaders who could then go out and educate those around them in a culturally-sensitive way. It is fundamental that we train and teach people within that community to go in and educate others, because we as “outsiders” do not know the cultural, religious, and moral values that characterize the community. I feel as if we should be mobilizing agencies that would train others to go out and teach and then in turn train those people to become teachers- a domino effect so to speak.

I think poverty also plays a major role in the health of an individual because it determines the type of lifestyle a person will have on a day to day basis. I taught and still do for the los angeles unified school district and I constantly interact with teens who have parents that have to work 2 or 3 jobs just to support their family. Some of these students live in neighborhoods that are heavily impacted by gang violence and crime. I feel as if all these factors affect day to day life, which in turn impacts health drastically so. I feel like this would be a bit harder to intervene into than improving access to education. Maybe more programs could be formed within these communities that would serve as support groups or resource centers. Essentially places where people, such as students in low-income communities, could go to find mentors, teachers, friends, safety, and …..