Neither genetics nor health: this is the cause of 'poor health', according to the UN

A person's health is affected by a wide variety of factors, including biological, environmental, and lifestyle factors. However, a World Health Organization (WHO) report states that neither genetics nor health are the main causes of poor health . So, what's the reason?

According to a study published by the renowned United Nations agency, social factors such as lack of housing, education, or good job opportunities are often more significant causes of poor health than factors related to genes, biological inheritance, or healthcare.

This was explained in detail in a new Global Report on the Social Determinants of Health Equity. The study showed that these determinants can be responsible for a dramatic reduction in healthy life expectancy , sometimes by decades, in both high- and low-income countries.

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" For example, people in the country with the lowest life expectancy will live, on average, 33 years less than those born in the country with the highest life expectancy . The social determinants of health equity may influence people's health outcomes more than their genetics or access to health care," they officially noted.

Furthermore, these social factors can result in lower life expectancy, even within a single country, the research highlights.

The gap between countries with the highest life expectancies (high-income countries like Japan and Switzerland) and those at the bottom of the indicator (low-income nations like Chad and the Central African Republic) is still 33 years, the WHO noted. (READ: Take note: 4 places where snakes can hide in your home)

Even within a single country, these differences can be seen, the experts said, noting that in Japan, for example, men in less developed regions have a life expectancy two and a half years shorter than those in wealthier areas. What is social inequality? This is how it affects health.

Social inequality is the condition by which people have unequal access to resources of all kinds, services, and positions valued by society. All types of social inequality are strongly associated with social class, gender, ethnicity, religion, and more.

" Billions of people are at increased risk of illness and death due to the conditions in which they were born or the social group to which they belong ," lamented WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who asserted that this situation can and must improve, when presenting the study.

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"Health inequality is not an accident; it is a consequence of the way society distributes resources and opportunities ," he added.

Other examples shown in the study indicate that in European countries such as Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland, there are life expectancy gaps of up to 10 years between people with higher and lower levels of education.

It also highlights that children born in low-income countries are up to 13 times more likely to die before their fifth birthday than those born in more developed nations.