With Japan being one of the healthier countries in the world, it was a bit more difficult to track down a single social determinant of health. Like most countries throughout the world, the economic circumstances of an individual play a large role in the determination of their health in Japan. This includes material and psychosocial aspects of an individual’s health (Wilkinson & Marmot, 2003). The differences between the individuals higher up the food chain and lower relates to both diseases and causes of death. This is no different in Japan, while their discrepancy numbers tend to be lower – when compared to other countries – they are not uniformly lower, meaning there are still common issues in this “healthy” country (Kagamimori et al., 2009).
One study primarily looked at the correlation between health risk behaviors and socioeconomic status (Fakuda et al., 2005). This included, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, stress and not attending regular health check-ups. For men, there was a correlation found that the lower their income, the riskier behaviors that they practiced. While the opposite was found in women. There was a higher risk for women who were in the workforce to participate in activities such as smoking (Fakuda et al., 2005). I think this is a great indication of the traditional culture that surrounds Japan. While there is a trend for more women to be independent and taking on the workforce, it is widely not accepted, especially by traditional men. It is also taking a toll on the overall health of women who leave the home. Whether it’s due to social or economic reasons, it is happening.
Urbanization is also playing a large role in the health of Japan (Kagamimori et al., 2009). There are discriminations between men and women within the corporate world, but there is also a gap between the labor and corporate job force. Women are not as healthy, as seen previously, when they join the workforce, but as a man climbs the corporate ladder he is seen to have better health overall (Fakuda et al., 2005). Urbanization is also changing the lifestyle of the Japanese people. With longer working hours, and faster lifestyle being implemented, there is an increase in Westernized practices that are playing a role in the health of the Japanese people. While there is increased access to information regarding good health practices there is also an increase in stress. The health factors surrounding stress are two fold when it comes to the overall well-being of individuals.
While Japan is seen as one of the healthiest countries within the group industrialized nations, there are some definite problems when looking at groups within the country. Gender, like many other issues within Japan, plays a large role in the determination of an individual’s health. Many health issues are displayed with physiological responses, but many of them start with feeling and emotions. Stress can have a detrimental effect on the body, especially chronic stress. If women aren’t feeling accepted or treated fairly in the workforce, it makes sense why their health would be deteriorating. Not all aspects of traditional Japan should be lost to western practices, but the treatment and inclusion needs to change in order for the long-term health of the population to be prosperous.
Kagamimori, S., Gaina, A., & Nasermoaddeli, A. (2009). Socioeconomic status and health in the japanese population. Social Science & Medicine, 68(12), 2152-2160. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.03.030
Fukuda, Y., Nakamura, K., & Takano, T. (2005). Accumulation of health risk behaviours is associated with lower socioeconomic status and womens urban residence: A multilevel analysis in Japan. BMC Public Health, 5(1). doi:10.1186/1471-2458-5-53
Wilkinson. R., & Marmot. M. (2003) Social Determinants of Health: The Solid Facts. World Health Organization, (2),. doi:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ubK2nSOuNnZS9X5vvt7C7rwqQq370tnh/view