The social hierarchy and conditions within a community have a direct impact on the health and well-being of the people who reside within that city's boundaries. Major contributors to the well-being of a neighborhood include, but are not limited to: the area in which they live, their social status within the population, and the income of the individual or family. Each factor has a considerable influence on the life expectancy of individuals within society. The actual living conditions of individuals are directly linked to the spread of infectious diseases and the infestation of chronic diseases that lead to premature death. Overcrowding, such as in ghettos and low-income projects, creates unnecessary proximity of people in a community. We are therefore seeing an increase in the spread of infectious diseases, as human-to-human contact is inevitable. For example, the U.S.-controlled Marshall Islands has more than 10,000 residents living in an area smaller than Manhattan. Tuberculosis is widespread there and often remains uncontrolled due to lack of personal space and poor sanitary conditions. Poor sanitation in an area is the result of a lack of public concern for the community and subsequently contributes to the demise of the health of the population. The atmosphere of a neighborhood also influences the well-being of individuals who reside in the province. There is evidence that citizens who live in “greener” communities (more parks, grassy areas, trees) are more likely to be healthier and have a greater life expectancy (2) . This could come from a sense of security that allows people in this area to exercise more often than those in areas where it is dangerous to walk the streets alone, even during the day. Lack of r...... middle of paper ...... their standard of living. I suppose a person can be healthier and happier through the daily actions and choices they make. Even though the premature mortality rate is increasing in the United States, I do not believe that health is synonymous with life expectancy, but rather with quality of life. And quality of life is not a circumstance, but a person's outlook, and whether they are grateful for what they have, or long for what they don't have. Personally, I'm healthy because I'm grateful for the life I live and the choices I've made to get here. Works Cited1. Daniels, Normal, Bruce P. Kennedy and Ichiro Kawachi. “Why justice is good for our health: the social determinants of health inequalities.” Daeduls 128.4 (1999): 215-53. Print.2. Unnatural causes: are inequalities making us sick? Prod. Larry Adelman. Californian newsreel, 2008. DVD.