Employment Status
Every day, many people are either working or looking for work. Multiple aspects of employment — including job security, the work environment, financial compensation, and job demands — may affect health.
According to Healthy People 2030, health is determined by the conditions where people are born, live, work, and play (Social Determinants of Health- Healthy People 2030). As a social determinant of health, employment status plays a significant role in determining health status. Employment directly affects various aspects of an individual's well-being, including physical and psychological health, life quality, life expectancy, and medical care expenses.
Employment status as a social predictor of health significantly affects well- being. It impacts the mental and physical health, life quality, lifespan, and medical costs of your patients. Increasing work options and lowering unemployment barriers improve health outcomes and reduce health inequities. Policies that promote job development, healthcare access, and social support are crucial to addressing the health effects of work. Recognizing and tackling employment as a health determinant can help create a healthier, more equal society.
Key Points and Resources
References
American Nurses Association. (2020). Nurses role in addressing social determinants of health. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/nurses-role-addressing-social-determinants-health-anac/
Armenti, K., Sweeney, M., Lingwall, C., & Yang, L. (2023). Work: A social determinant of health worth capturing. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(2), 1199. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36673956/
Gould, R. (2023). What are social determinants of health? What every nurse should know.
Rasmussen University. https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/nursing/blog/what-are-social-determinants-of-health/
Griffith, K., Evans, L., & Bor, J. (2017). The Affordable Care Act reduced socioeconomic disparities in health care access. Health Affairs, 36(8), 1503–1510. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.0083
Guilamo-Rasmos, V., Johnson, C., Thimm-Kaiser, M. & Benzekri, A. (2023). Nurse-led approaches to address social determinants of health and advance health equity: A new framework and its implications. Nursing Outlook. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002965542300101X
Gwyn, N. (2022). Historic unemployment programs provided vital support to workers and the economy during pandemic, offer roadmap for future reform. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. https://www.cbpp.org/research/economy/historic-unemployment-programs- provided-vital-support-to-workers-and-the-economy
Silver, S. R., Li, J., & Quay, B. (2021). Employment status, unemployment duration, and health‐related metrics among us adults of prime working age: Behavioral risk factor