​Good communication skills are essential for health workers. The healthy start workforce website New Zealand provides tips and training to help health care professionals open a dialogue with their clients regarding healthy behaviours. These skills can help to support clients, and assist them in making behaviour changes for a healthier lifestyle.
It is also important for health care workers to be aware of the effects of the social environment on patients and their children.This observation was a topic of several Ted Talks, including this one by Miriam Zoila Perez. She explores the immigration paradox, in which looks she explores the fact that babies of immigrants who face racism have more health complications (e.g. low birth weight) when compared to babies born in their country of origin.
Why does race matter so profoundly for health? In this Ted Talk, David R. Williams explores how discrimination is a social factor that can effect our health outcomes. He presents evidence for how racism is producing a rigged system -- and offers hopeful examples of programs across the US that are working to dismantle discrimination.
Discrimination, and the detention of immigrants has a life-long impact on children's mental and physical wellbeing.This this topic is explored in posts on The Conversation, in which Karen Ziwi mentions how chronic stress can impact the developing brain, and Tom Calma highlights the discrimination of Indigenous people in Australia and associated problems.