upstream - Answers Policies that focus on fundamental causes (global forces, political priorities,
societal values) leading to a more equal distribution of income, power, and wealth. Societal
Level.
midstream - Answers policies that focus on improving wider environmental influences and
environmental experiences (economic and work, physica, education and learning,social.
neighborhood level
downstream - Answers policies that focus on improving people's symptoms (investment
medical research). individual level. Observing something that happened to someone (observing
a death/mortality)
example of a downstream health problem and what interventions at the downstream midstream
and upstream levels would look like. - Answers Downstream
Mortality = The cause was lung cancer (disease)
Midstream
Why?
The person grew up in a neighborhood with high smoking rates (coping mechanisms for hunger
and stress)
Upstream
Federal policies have created segregated neighborhoods
In his TED talk, Dr. Rishi Manchanda argues that we need more upstreamists in health care.
What is an upstreamist in a health care setting? - Answers o An upstreamist looks for the root
causes of disease to focus on disease prevention rather than reactionary treatments.
1.)First, identify the problem and identify the root cause
2.)Then, take a look at the living and working conditions
3.)Finally, mobilize resources to address it
o Rather than focusing solely on treating a condition, upstreamists have a mindset of slowing
the progression of a condition and preventing other conditions from occurring
o This can occur at a societal, economic, etc. level of analysis
What is a Blue Zone? What habits do Blue Zone inhabitants have in common? - Answers -
Pockets where people live longer than anywhere else in the world
, -The world's highest percentages of centenarians
-Habits:
Less smoking
Semi-vegetarianism
Eat legumes
Constant moderate physical activity
Social engagement
Family time together
-Sardinian, Adventists, & Okinawans
ALL:
Don't smoke
Stay physically active
Keep socially engaged
Cherish family
Eat a plant-based diet
According to Dan Buettner's TED talk, what are the biggest differences between the Blue Zones
lifestyles and mainstream American culture? - Answers -Blue Zones lifestyles consist of more
plant-based diets rich with vegetables
-Blue zone people eat off smaller plates to prevent overeating, which is more common in the
American culture
-Blue Zone lifestyles usually involve more physical activity regularly (more walking and natural
movement rather than exercise)
-Blue Zone lifestyles have the right outlook, i.e. vocabulary for sense of purpose
-Blue Zone lifestyles take time to relax and "downshift" to prevent inflammatory response
caused by stress, Americans not as much
According to Link & Phelan, what does it mean to contextualize risk factors? - Answers
Contextualizing risk factors refers to trying to understand how people come to be exposed to
individually-based risk factors (poor diet, cholesterol, lack of exercise, high blood pressure) and
determining the social conditions under which these individual risk factors are related to