The Biomedical Model And Social Model Of Health

Essay question 1: Critically discuss the biomedical model and social model of health and how they relate to lay perspectives on health and illness.

Introduction: For this essay I am going to critically discuss the biomedical model as well as the social model of health and how they both relate to the lay perspectives on health and illness.

In 1948 the World Health Organisation (WHO) defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. (World Health Organization. 1946). Illness is what

Body:

Critically discuss the biomedical model and social model of health

What is biomedical model of health?

Biomedical model of health mainly looks at ill health which is caused

(Williams and Bendelow, 1998). The social model of health looks at factors such as; the social, environmental, economic and cultural factors which are the broader influences on health instead of diseases and injuries. ‘the social model locates people in social contexts, conceptualizes the physical environment as socially organized, and understands ill health as a process of interaction between people and their environments’ (Broom, 1991, 52). Social model of health perceives health and illness in different ways other than just medical facts, by looking at the broader factors that can cause ill health or be the source of you being ill such as; being in poverty; having poor housing, job-related stress, pollution, family, employment status, working conditions, health services, housing, environmental pollution, friends, income, education, social life, national food deprived neighbourhoods as well as poor life choices, these factors can shape your physical along with your mental health and it is not just science that can shape our physical and mental

Since the black report of 1988, it has been clearly identified and approved that people from the lowest social group experience the poorest health in society. The better social class you have the better health services you will get; this is because if you have a higher social class it means that you have the money to get medicines and see the best health professionals so therefore it means that they are more likely to recover rapidly but for the people with a very low social class when they are ill they would struggle to get the money to buy medicines for their recovery.

Current research suggests the countries with the smallest income differences have the best health status rather than the richest countries. Where income differences remain great, as in this country, health inequalities will persist. For example: Children in the lowest social class are five times more likely to die from an accident than those in the top social class, Infant mortality rates are highest among the lowest social