Impact of Culture on Health

Abstract

Good health is the result of complex interactions between individual genetic makeup and the influences of the environment in which the person lives.  In general, environmental factors are much more dominant in most cases.  Environmental factors include proximal risks such as tobacco use, poor diets, risky behaviours which are in turn influenced heavily by distal and broader determinants such as social, economic and political factors e.g income has been shown to be a major influence on health.  Income is closely associated with education and social status or class.