Chapter 18 Health and Medicine

Disease

Disease

Medically diagnosed illness

Health

Absence of disease and the ability to respond effectively to one's environment

Infant mortality rates

Number of deaths in the first year of life for each 1,000 live births

Medical sociology

Subarea of sociology that links social structure and social life to health

Epdemiology

Study of the incidence and distribution of health and disease in a society

Life expectancy

average number of years a person is expected to live

sex and gender

Women's illnesses- more likely to be linked to morbidity (chronic debilitation)
Men's illnesses- more likely to be linked to mortality (death)

Race and ethnicity

Diseases and health vary by race and ethnicity

Socioeconomic status

Money and class-related attitudes influence health

The wellness movement

Emphasizes preventative health care by combining knowledge about health and nutrition with sensible eating and exercise programs

AIDS

acquired immune deficiency syndrome, a spectrum of disorders and symptoms resulting from progressive breakdown of immune system

Sick role

a pattern of behavior associated with illness

Interactionist perspective

Being sick or disabled is a status that my profoundly affect how an individual is viewed and treated by others

Medicine

An institutionalize system designed to prevent and treat disease and illness

Health-care system

The social institution charged with the responsibility for a society's health and standard of well-being

Japan healthcare

Health care is government priority

Sweden/Norway healthcare

Socialized medicine
public funds provide a state-owned health care system available to all citizens

Great Britain healthcare

Blends private capitalism with a version of socialized medicine

Specialization (medical)

Advanced education and training allowing doctors to focus on one particular aspect of medicine

Medicalization

a process in which behavior, activities, and problems previously dissociated from health and medicine are now viewed from a medical perspective

Telemedicine

the use of technology such as telephones, computers, internet, and others for the purposes of diagnoses, consultations, medical referrals, and treatment

Integrative medicine (holistic medicine)

emphasizes the prevention of disease and focuses treatment on patients as whole persons in an effort to maintain good physical, emotional, and spiritual health

Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and preferred-provider organizations (PPOs)

Insurance programs that emphasize preventative care and attempt to reduce medical costs by pooling funds and contracting with participating physicians who manage their patients' total health care