Your life is to a large extent influenced by social factors around you, and these factors include peers, the community and institutions like family and school. Human beings are social beings and need each other for survival as well as for acquisition of both positive and negative aspects of life. The status of your health in particular is usually a reflection of the effects of peers, schools and communities.
Peers and Personal Health
Peers can affect your health by providing moral and emotional support. They show you the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, especially if they have a positive outlook on the issue of health. On the other hand, peers are very well placed to drag your health down if their own health is wanting. For example, if you spend your time with friends and peers who pay no attention to hygiene practices like showering, you are also likely to trivialize the importance of cleanliness as an important part of overall health.
Schools and Personal Health
Children become part of a larger world in school, and this world influences the decisions they make. If the school upholds high standards of health, children will usually follow suit and make a healthy lifestyle part of their life experience. A school's economic situation plays a role in affecting a child’s physical health. If the school is financially able to provide healthy lunches and the curriculum includes extracurricular activities that provide health-boosting opportunities, then children are more likely to live healthier. However, economically poor schools may not be in a position to uphold high health standards for the students.
The resources available within a community determine the extent to which it can support families through various human interaction. Communities with high social capital are in a better position to design beneficial programs for the families living there. Health and recreational facilities help promote healthier lifestyles for both adults and children. Poor communities, on the other hand, are more likely to suffer the negative consequences of scarcity of resources. The effects of poverty are felt both physically and emotionally, and the results are destructive personal choices, sicknesses and increased crime.
The Threat of Isolation
Negative influence by peers, schools and the community where health issues are concerned may lead to withdrawal or isolation. However, this can be detrimental as human beings cannot survive or function in isolation. Working and interacting with others serves to decrease stress levels and in the long run brings a positive effect on both physical and mental health. Lack of mental health gives rise to conditions like depression, aggression, anxiety and memory impairment, all of which take a toll on physical health.
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