Chapter 13 Health and Health Care (Chapter Review)

A comprehensive set of Q&A flashcards covering definitions, theories, global and U.S. disparities, health-care system problems, and proposed reforms from Chapter 13: Health and Health Care.

What are the three dimensions included in the sociological definition of health?

Physical, mental, and social well-being.

How does sociology define medicine?

The social institution that seeks to prevent, diagnose, and treat illness and to promote health in its various dimensions.

What is meant by health care in sociology?

The provision of medical services to prevent, diagnose, and treat health problems.

According to functionalism, why is good health important for society?

Because good health and effective medical care are essential for the smooth functioning and stability of society.

Name the three expectations Talcott Parsons called the 'sick role.'

1) The sick person is not held responsible for their illness; 2) The sick person must want to get well; 3) The sick person should seek competent help and follow medical advice.

In Parsons’s view, what characterizes the physician-patient relationship?

It is hierarchical: the physician gives instructions and the patient follows them.

State one criticism of Parsons’s sick-role concept.

It fits acute illness better than chronic illness, ignores social inequality, and approves a hierarchy that may silence patients.

What core assumption does conflict theory make about health and medicine?

Social inequality shapes both the quality of health and access to health care; the disadvantaged get sicker and receive inadequate care.

Give an example of a social problem that became medicalized, according to conflict theorists.

ADHD in children, obstetrical care replacing midwives, or eating disorders defined primarily as medical issues.

How does symbolic interactionism view illness?

As a social construction: conditions are considered illnesses only when society defines them as such.

Provide one interactionist insight about doctor–patient encounters.

Physicians manage impressions—white coats, complex jargon, patients addressed by first name—to display authority.

What statistic illustrates global inequality in infant mortality (low vs. high-income nations)?

About 70 deaths per 1,000 live births in the poorest nations versus 5 per 1,000 in the richest.

Which region holds roughly two-thirds of the world’s HIV/AIDS cases?

Sub-Saharan Africa.

What common health-care model exists in industrial nations other than the United States?

National or universal health insurance funded and administered largely by government.

List two documented advantages of national health insurance systems.

Lower infant mortality and longer life expectancy at a lower per-capita cost than the U.S. system.

Between 1900 and 2010, how did U.S. average life expectancy change?

It rose from about 47 years to about 78 years.

Define social epidemiology.

The study of how health and illness vary by sociodemographic characteristics, revealing health disparities.

Which income group reports ‘fair or poor’ health most often in the United States?

People with family incomes below the poverty level.

Name two reasons poverty leads to worse health outcomes.

Greater stress and limited access to quality medical care (also poor housing, nutrition, education).

How many fewer years can African American men born in 2007 expect to live compared to white men?

Almost six years fewer (70.0 vs. 75.9).

What is environmental racism?

Disproportionate exposure of communities of color to pollution, toxins, and environmental hazards that harm health.

Explain the morbidity paradox between men and women.

Women suffer more non-fatal illnesses, yet men have shorter life expectancy and more life-threatening diseases.

Give one sociological reason men die earlier than women.

Men’s gender socialization encourages risk behaviors (smoking, heavy drinking, dangerous work) and reluctance to seek medical help.

What percentage of Americans lacked any health insurance before the 2010 reform?

About 16%, or nearly 50 million people.

Identify two main reasons U.S. health care costs are so high.

Enormous administrative costs due to private insurance, and a fee-for-service model that allows high prices for procedures.

What is denial of care in HMOs?

Restrictions on tests, procedures, or drugs that patients’ physicians believe are necessary but the HMO will not cover.

State one example of racial or gender bias in U.S. medical treatment.

Women with heart symptoms are less likely than men to receive cardiac catheterization; African Americans receive fewer bypass surgeries.

Estimate how many U.S. patients die each year from hospital mistakes.

Almost 200,000.

Why is lack of hand washing in hospitals a critical issue?

It causes about 100,000 patient deaths annually from hospital-acquired infections.

Define self-referral in medical practice.

Physicians sending patients to facilities or labs in which they have a financial stake, potentially leading to unnecessary tests.

What is integrated care (high-touch medicine)?

Teams of providers coordinate care for chronically ill patients to reduce hospitalizations and costs.

List two reforms that could lower U.S. health-care costs without single-payer insurance.

Using salaried physicians rather than fee-for-service; expanding electronic medical records; reducing unnecessary tests.

How would a single-payer system theoretically reduce administrative costs?

By replacing multiple private insurers with one government payer, eliminating marketing and complex billing.

Name a physicians’ organization that advocates for U.S. single-payer health insurance.

Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP).

Explain the public-health concept of preventive care.

Efforts aimed at preventing illness before it occurs, such as vaccinations, healthy lifestyle promotion, and early childhood interventions.

Which two childhood conditions are rising in prevalence and linked to U.S. health disparities?

Obesity and asthma.

What is meant by medicalization?

Transforming a non-medical issue (e.g., childbirth, ADHD) into a medical problem requiring professional treatment.

Give one criticism of conflict theory’s view on physicians’ motives.

It may be overly cynical, ignoring genuine medical benefits that scientific medicine provides.

Which federal programs provide U.S. public health insurance, and who do they cover?

Medicare for those 65+ or disabled; Medicaid for select low-income individuals and families; SCHIP for low-income children.

What is the approximate per-capita health expenditure in the United States (2009)?

About $7,960.

How does stress physiologically harm health, according to social epidemiology?

Stress impairs the immune system and other bodily processes, increasing disease risk.

Why are rural areas especially vulnerable to physician shortages?

Hospitals and clinics are sparse; lower pay and isolation discourage specialists, limiting access to timely care.

Identify one strategy to improve world health noted in the chapter.

Wealthy nations providing funds, equipment, and public-health expertise to poor nations (e.g., via WHO, Doctors Without Borders).

Summarize a key sociological takeaway regarding health and inequality.

Health problems both reflect and reinforce broader social inequalities tied to class, race/ethnicity, and gender.