The conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age all influence our health and wellbeing.
Our current wider determinant priorities include housing and homelessness, transport, employment and work and planning.
Housing and homelessness
Health is affected by many aspects of housing including availability, affordability, accessibility, quality and safety. Housing conditions can impact on both physical and mental health, for example poor housing conditions can impact on respiratory and cardiovascular health.
Local information can be obtained from:
Transport
Transport which includes private transport, public transport, voluntary transport and transport of goods can have significant impacts on health and wellbeing, both positive and negative.
Positive effects can include:
- opportunities for physical activity provided by active transport (walking and cycling)
- enabling access to employment, education, shops, recreation, social support networks, health services and the countryside.
Negative effects can include:
- road traffic injuries
- pollution
- limitation of opportunities for physical activity
- constraints on access to amenities and services.
Local information:
- Vacant seat scheme
- Transport for students under the age of 16
- Public transport
- Road safety for parents and young people
- Health transport
Employment and work
It is well known that 'good work' improves health and wellbeing and protects against social exclusion. Equally, unemployment is bad for health and wellbeing, as it is associated with an increased risk of ill health.
Local information:
Planning
Good planning can be positive for health and wellbeing. By considering key principles related to wider determinants of health, places and spaces can be designed in a way that promotes healthy, active and sustainable communities.