EXTERNAL CAPABILITY 12: MATERIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
Having material circumstances that support health
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Functioning 1. Economic: income and employment status
Functioning 2. Neighborhood and community
Functioning 3. Safe water and sanitation
Functioning 4. Housing
Functioning 5. Food security
Functioning 6. Extent to which immediate environment is toxin- or disease-free
What is it?
Material circumstances constitute another external health capability. This capability refers to one's immediate economic and physical living situation, including income, employment, neighborhood, community, sanitation, housing, food, and environment, and in particular their direct and indirect effects on health.
Why is it important?
Material circumstances are an important physical basis for our health. Our economic, neighborhood, sanitation, housing, food, and environmental situations can directly affect our health (e.g. not having enough food to eat, living in a toxic environment), and affect our abilities to attain health (e.g. long hours at work reducing exercise and sleep). Sometimes, positive material circumstances will directly improve our health; sometimes, they will support our internal capabilities for achieving health.
What does it look like?
Strong, health-enabling economic material circumstances include stable and sufficient income and employment, workplaces that are healthy and safe, and health and social insurance. One's work environment should enable people to flourish, including providing the time and energy to engage in health-seeking behaviors. Under no circumstances should one’s immediate material circumstance endanger or undermine one's health. Neighborhood and community material circumstances include a safe, quiet, peaceful, clean, vibrant, thriving, and prosperous neighborhood and community with accessible and high-quality facilities and resources. A strong external capability of material circumstances also includes access to safe and clean water and sanitation; affordable, stable, and quality housing; food security; and a toxin- and disease-free, indeed a richly fertile, immediate environment.
How do WE do it?
We should develop positive, indeed, resourceful and imaginative, material circumstances for all in society. Everyone should have ample income and stability, fulfillment, and a sense of purpose in employment under safe and healthy conditions. Everyone should live in neighborhoods and communities that are safe, well-connected, well-resourced, and flourishing. Everyone should have safe water, sanitation, safe and stable quality housing, food security, and a toxin- and disease-free, indeed, fertile, environment.
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