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Socio economic factors impact on health
Socio economic factors impact on health
Explaining the biomedical model of health
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Hierarchy and power are two concepts which greatly affect various fields across almost all countries. In this particular discussion, we will take Australian health care system into consideration. Further, to have a clear understanding of the same, we will discuss few key concepts of sociology and its perspectives, biomedical model of health, discussion about our two key concepts namely hierarchy and power, their definition and theories related to same and at the end how they are inherent in Australia’s present health care system and how they are reasons of disparities amongst different communities across Australia and a concluding note at the end. Sociology, contrary to psychology which is a study of individuals conduct and intellect, is the …show more content…
This study hugely helps health practitioners globally in determining the health conditions affecting people in different locations. Thereby, helps in the determination of the correct course of treatment. There are several social factors including religion, race, gender, education, etc. that greatly affects the health of an individual. The sociology of health and illness determines the relationship between health and these societal factors. It has been proved by sociologists that position of an individual in the society, racial belief and other communal factors considerably impact the growth of diseases (Crossman, 2017). There has been a constant advancement in technology and economy, changes in insurance, which largely affects the health care facility available to an individual. There are diverse approaches to sociological analysis which are commonly referred to as perspectives. Firstly, the functionalist model perceives that for the society to perform proficiently, it is necessary to have good health and efficient health care as indicated by Talcott Parsons (Libraries, 2015). It emphasizes on the “sick role”. It further highlights that a sick person disrupts the performance of society as a whole, as he is unable to execute
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)
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are increasingly becoming a major problem of Public Health around the World. The impact of resources and material deprivation among people and populations has resulted in an increase in mortality rate on a planetary scale. Social determinants of health are defined as the personal, social, economic and the environmental conditions which determines the health status of an individual or population (Gardner, 2013). Today’s society is characterized by inequalities in health, education, income and many other factors which as a result is becoming a burden for Public Health around the world. Research studies have shown that the conditions in which people live and work strongly influenced their health. Individuals with high levels of education and fall within the high income bracket turn to have stable jobs, live in the best neighborhood and have access to quality health care system than individuals who have low education and fall with the low income bracket. This paper is to explain different social determinants of health and how they play ...
Wilkinson, R. M. (2003). Social determinants of health - the solid facts. [S.l.]: World Health Organization.
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,
“Health is the state of complete physical, mental, social and intellectual well-beings not merely an absence of disease”(WHO,1998).Good health is essential in life as people’s career will be affected if they fall ill.. In the developed countries like Australia, People who are not involved in the healthy lifestyle are suffering from a range of health disorders like overweight, high blood pressure, obese, heart diseases, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, kidney problems, liver disorders and so many. To overcome these health issues Australian government introduced health care system. This essay will firstly, discuss the Australian health care system and secondly, compare Australia with other countries around the world in relation to different consideration on health.
Wilkinson, R.G. & Marmot, M.G. 2003, Social determinants of health: the solid facts, World Health Organization.
Social determinants of health has been a large topic for many years and can have a positive and negative effect on individuals, families and communities. (World Health Organisation, 2009) The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, including the health system. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels, which are themselves influenced by policy choices. Social determinants have many factors and in this essay education will be the main social determinant of health discussed and how this could have an impact on the physical and mental sides of health.
Turrell, G. et al. (2006) Health inequalities in Australia: morbidity, health behaviors, risk factors and health service use. Canberra: Queensland University of Technology and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2006. Retrieved on March 29th, 2011 from http://152.91.62.50/publications/phe/hiamhbrfhsu/hiamhbrfhsu-c00.pdf.
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.
Health as a Social Construction In my essay, I aim to find out why social construction affects the health of our society. Ill health may be defined as 'a bodily or mental state that is deemed undesirable'. This means that health is the condition of the body both physically and mentally. Social construction of health refers to the way health varies from one society to another.
Health sociology explores the social constructions of health and illness, utilizing the sociological imagination to understand the “intimate realities of ourselves in connection with larger social realities” (Mills 1959, p. 15). Allowing us to conceptualises the social organisation of the physical environment, and understand disease as a process of interaction between humans and the environments. This is vital for health practitioner as health inventions that are effective and preventative need to go beyond medical treatment and address the social factors of health (Germov, 2013). The different approaches of analysing health are the sociological perspective, they share the core assumptions and principles on the social context of health. Van Krieken suggests the range of perspectives reflect the subjective nature of our experience of the social world (2000).
Sociology of Health and Illness The sociological approaches focus on identifying the two sociological theories. We critically analysed the biomedical model and doctor-patient relationship. We also evaluated how the medical professionals exercise social control and the medical professional’s contribution to ill health. The difference between society and health is studied by sociologists in relation to health and illness.
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
Theory is critically important to every academic discipline because it provides a conceptualisation about how sets of phenomenon or a particular phenomenon works in the empirical world (Cockerham, 2013:1). Theories in sociology provide definitions and sets of propositions explaining some facts and facets of social reality (Cockerham, 2013:1). Usually these propositions are testable so the validity of the theory can be confirmed, modified, or rejected (Cockerham, 2013:2). One of the major developments in the function/ use of theory in clinical medical sociology since 1950’s are the increased use of sociological theory to provide explanatory models of the social processes affecting health and disease (Cockerham, 2013:2). 3.1 Structural Functionalists
“Social control is a perception that relates to the ways in which people’s thoughts, feelings, appearance, and behaviour are regulated in social systems”. (Crossman, 2014) “It is the enforcement of conformity by society upon its members, either by law or by social pressure”. (Werner, 2011) The social construction of illness is a major research perspective in medical sociology and explains how illnesses have consequences separate from any biological factors.