Ontario Health Study, Research Paper Example

Population health is a means of gathering health related information about people in a specific population and vicinity.  The purpose of such a study is to determine the various health realities and issues of those people, with the intent to provide health care solutions to people based on the variables that affect that population.  Some of those variables include geographical determinants, weather, specific environments, ethnic biology, and even the types of foods consumed within that group of people.  With the information gathered by researchers and medical professionals, diseases and ailments can be viewed from the perspective of what the broader implications are to health, based on the environmental, geographical and cultural implications.  This means that certain illnesses can be targeted for treatment and health resolutions that are relevant to that poplulation.  When health is looked at from the community stand point, as opposed to solely that of the individual, there is more possibility for support, discussion and accountability to not only the members of that community, but also to those that play a role in the wellbeing of the members.  Those other groups include the medical community, restaurant owners, local grocers, agricultural professionals, and schools boards.

The information provided in the study would provide a number of solutions for people in a specific region by giving them the data collected about the health of their families, communities and cultures around them.  This would allow them to take preventative measures in addressing their health and wellness through the clarity and significance of the research.  Such research would also give the community a means of determining whether or not the food consumption sources and choices that they engage in are benefical or could stand improvement overall.  Once people have a clear understanding of what medical issues loom within their population, they can begin the necessary dialogue with health care physicians and members of the community at large to begin taking initiative to healing some of the long standing diseases and illnesses that would not have been addressed otherwise.  Common links between certain illness of the population and the unhealthy parallel habits such as smoking and abnormal alcohol comsumption can be linked together and proven to be harmful not just for an individual, but for the larger community.  This allows for decisions to be made at the grassroots level as well as the political level to aleviate certain habits through petitions, community action groups, and votes to protect those who are affected by these activities.

Studies such as the Ontario Health Study would play a major role in diminishing the inequalities between socioeconomic groups.  It is a major problem in healthcare that certain members of lower economic status are often not given access to certain medical attention and care based on the stereotype that disease and illness are directly proportionate to income level.  Population health studies clarify through intense study and data that the medical ailments are dispursed throughout all socioeconomic groups, as are some of the habits such as smoking, drinking and recreational drug use.  Once such disparities are clarified to be false, those who need care who would not receive it based on stereotypical asumptions would, hopefully, be given the same standard of medical care as someone in another income group.

Participating in this study has allowed me to better understand that the nature of most disease isn’t based on genetics, but on social conditioning, diet and environment, including stress levels.  These are issues that people around the world are suffering from and without the tools and and resources available to them for assistance, education and health improvement, they may continue accept health labels based on social status and income, or lack thereof.  It is being made more evident that my health and that of those around me in my geographic vicinity share some similar attributes,  mostly based on habits, whether good or bad, which range from levels of physical activity, to exposure to toxins, to types of health regimines.  I can begin to see my health from a more objective position as well as those around me to begin making the determinations concerning which health related causes to become involved in.  It’s more important than ever to begin to hold not only myself and my medical team accountable for my health, but those other individuals and groups that play a large part in my wellbeing, and those of my community.

As a result of the study, I wish to begin taking my diet more seriously from the inside out.  It will take some discipline and planning, and it will also take coming together with other focused indviduals to make a statement about what we will consume and take part in and what we will not.  For instance, grocery stores are filled with foods that are processed and filled with various toxins, such as parasites, that harm our bodies, as well as the air that we breathe.  Various chemical plants expose our communities to harmful toxins and allergins that increase our likelihood of developing cancers of the heart, lungs, brain, and skin.  It is must that we (meaning myself and others in the same paradigm) begin to take responsibility and encourage others to do the same.  Studies such as these are important first steps in establishing a communal awareness to the true nature of disease and illness, and the accountability to making a social commitment to creating change in our health and the healthcare system.