Social interactionist approaches are criticised by positivists who claim that the verifiability of results is hard to obtain, and any inferences drawn from such small numbers are difficult to credit. Additionally, social interactionists neglect wider structural influences on health as they focus solely on human agency. For interactionists, a limitation of a positivist approach is that a positivist tends to simply describe rather than explain. Therefore, positivists need a better understanding of the social processes responsible for influencing health behaviors and outcomes. The Structuralist Approach This approach emphasizes the ways historical, political, and economic processes affect health and access to health care. In this account, explanations are not to be required at the individual level. Instead, focus is put on the broader social …show more content…
Post-structuralism is concerned with how knowledge and experience are constructed in the context of power relations. This sheds light on work and health risks, social groups, and what it means to be a healthy citizen. For example, Petersen and Lupton focus on new public health by assessing its implications for the concepts of self, embodiment, and citizenship. They argue new public health is used as a source of moral regulation and for differentiating between the self and the otherness. They explore the consequences of the modernist belief in the power of science and the capability of professionals to solve problems through the rational administrative means which reinforce the strategies and rhetoric of the new public health. Attaining good health is one of the key concerns of modern societies. Everybody is now called upon to be active in making a healthier and sustainable environment by giving particular attention to lifestyle and participation in cooperative efforts to manage
In chapter 2, of Essentials of the U.S Health Care System, Shi and Singh both talk about focusing on determinants to improve health. Having adequate health insurance for everyone is a great start to improving one’s health, but the bigger issue is addressing the needs of the people who have low income or the needs for different ethnic groups. In the documentaries, Bad Sugar, Becoming American, Collateral Damage and In Sickness and In Wealth, they all touched on social determinants. It did not matter if you lived in the United States, a third world country or a reservation, they all expressed a need the can better their health.
Raphael, D., Curry-Stevens, A., & Bryant, T. (2008). Barriers to addressing the social determinants of health: Insights from the Canadian experience. Health Policy, 88, 222-235. doi: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2008.03.015.
Overtime, sociology has played an essential role in the aid of healthcare policies and procedures, along with playing a fundamental role in one’s understanding of health inequalities. This paper explores how sociology has played such a role in healthcare, whilst including discussions regarding the influence of social structures and inequalities in the health of an individual, their family and community, with the topic of health variations between social classes being the main focus of the discussion. A structured overview, review and evaluation of a specific health policy in the UK will also be provided within this paper. Sociology in healthcare. Sociology can be defined in a number of ways, due to its almost limitless scope (Denny, Earle,
According to the World Health Organisation (2017) the social determinants of health are defined as the conditions where people are born, grown, work and live, which also includes the health system. The social determinants of health determined populations health’s outcomes and therefore linked with health inequalities (WHO, 2017)
A country’s health care system refers to all the institutions, programs, personnel, procedures, and the resources that are used to meet the health needs of its population. Health care systems vary from one country to another, depending on government policies and the health needs of the population. Besides, health care programs are flexible in the sense that they are tailored to meet health needs as they arise. Among the stakeholders in the formulation of a country’s health care system are governments, religious groups, non-governmental organizations, charity organizations, trade/labor unions, and interested individuals (Duckett, 2008). These entities formulate, implement, evaluate, and reform health services according to the needs of the sections of the population they target.
There exists conflicting theories among sociologists in the area of determining why a person is considered to be a deviant, and the reasons behind why he or she has committed a deviant act. From a positivistic perspective, deviance is based on biological or social determinism. Alternatively, from a constructionist perspective, deviance is created and assigned by society. Both perspectives seek to give a theory for why a person may become known as deviant. Although they both view similar acts as deviant, the basic differences between positivists and constructionists theories are clear.
The biomedical model of health has been criticised because it fails to include the psychological and social causes relating to an individual’s medical illness or health, looking only at the biological causes (Giddens and Sutton, 2013). Therefore, sociologists being aware of the impacts of social structure and lifestyle on health have put in various efforts to place the study of ‘the social’ at the core of health and healthcare examination.
Epub 2006 Jan. Pincus, T., Esther, R., DeWalt, D.A., & Callahan, L.F., (1998) Social conditions and self-management are more powerful determinants of health than access to care. Ann Intern Med., Inc. 1998 Sep 1;129(5):406-11. Vest, J.R., & Gamm, L.D., (2009)
Public health is a concept that will always be subject to conflicting opinion. Over the year’s different ‘models’ of health have been formulated in order to categorise public health into dominant areas of cause and effect. The two models in which this essay will be focusing on are the Biomedical Model and the Lifestyle Theory Model. Although both models have equally arguable advantages and disadvantages, it is difficult to state either model as being ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in defining the correct pathway to resolving the central health issues of today.
Over the years, the social determinants of health (SDOH) have been receiving more attention due to its importance in determining peoples’ health access, health quality and health outcome. The social determinants of health have been described by various scholars as the situation or environmental condition in which people are born, or where they grow, live and work; unfortunately these conditions have continued to affect and determine people’s ability to access proper care.1-5 In other words, the SDOH continues to consciously and unconsciously influence people’s access to most opportunities in life including access to healthcare services both in developed and developing countries.2 This issues have continue to deteriorate in most developing countries increasing people’s susceptibility to multi-morbidity among different age groups, with a slight increase among the elderly.6
...tiatives that link health care structures with the wider set of public sectors reforms and by doing so must approach the underlying determinants of health inequalities.
The health of an individual and their communities is affected by several elements which combine together. Whether an individual is healthy or not, is determined by their circumstances and environment.1 To a greater extent, factors such as where an individual lives, their relationships with family and friends, the state of their environment, income, genetics and level of education all have significant impacts on health, however the more frequently considered factors such as access and use of health care facilities regularly have less of an impact.6 Determinants of health is a term which was introduced in the 1970s as part of a broader analysis of research and policy on public health. Researchers argued that there was a lot of attention and too much expenditure on health being dedicated to individuals and their illnesses, and little or no investment in populations and their health. It was decided that public health should be more concerned with social policies and social determinants than with health facilities and the outcomes of diseases.7 The determinants of health include social and economic environment, physical environment and an individual’s behaviour and characteristics. The environment of an individual determines their health, holding responsible an individual for having poor health or acknowledging them for good health is inappropriate. Individuals are not likely to be able to control several of the determinants of health. These determinants that make individuals healthy or not include the factors above, and numerous others.6
In an era when the resources for health promotion are limited and the expectations as to what can be achieved are high, sustainability has become a familiar catch-cry (Swerissen & Crisp. 2014.) Health and sustainability are parallel challenges (Cunningham et al. 2010) as the economic, social and environmental characteristics of a sustainable society are the same as those of a healthy society (Griffiths 2006.). The precise definition of sustainability is still subject to debate. It has no single or universally accepted definition. It is not easily captured in a concise definition and means different things to different people or concepts (Auditor General of Victoria 2004). In this case sustainability will be the development aiming to maintain or sustain conditions in order to provide improved long-term economic health and a stable social and cultural quality system to preserve and protect the environment (Gremm et al. 2008). A crucial focus to sustainability includes preserving the environment so that the needs of future generations can also be met indefinitely in the future. Public health programs constitute an important method of improving health and program sustainability (Pluye et al 2004) as partnerships between health organisations and local authority planning departments concerning spacial planning are important to ensure the design of healthy sustainable communities (Griffiths 2006.).
The environment and health are very closely linked. The environment in which we inhabit and go about our daily lives, directly impacts on our physical, mental and social well-being. There are biological, chemical and physical factors that can affect human health in a physical and mental way. The World Health Organisation states that "health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (WHO 1948), meaning that although many factors relating to health are associated with environmental pollution, they can also be caused by the environment in which we work and live in. The relationship between the environment and health, can however be quite complex. Human health is not only as a result of air, water and ground pollution, but also things such as food, genetics, life style and quality, which directly affect human susceptibility to illness, disease and possibly death. Disruptions to the environment, such as substance dispersal, climate change, acidification, ground pollution, photochemical air pollution and over fertilisation can also impact on human health. Therefore, there are direct and indirect links to the environment and health issues.
Environmental health explains the quality of your home, work, school, and social environment. Even the health of our planet plays a factor, air quality and availability of clean filtered water and healthy food. Also the weather and pollution, exposures to chemicals are factors playing against environment. I read an article by Lecia Bushak and she had made up many ways to help improve our environment. “Earth Day isn’t the only day you can take steps to make the environment better. In fact, it’s really easy to go green on a daily basis, and in doing so, you’ll be improving your own life” (Bushak, 2015). Following her step I will do my best to not use my car as much. I will be recycling more that’s for sure. I also will start being better about monitoring my electronics and water use in my home! These few changes will make the difference in my environmental health and I am willing to make these changes!