Sociological Concepts, Determinants, and Definitions of Health and Wellbeing

Flashcards covering the socio-ecological model, social determinants of health, sociological concepts, diverse definitions of health and wellbeing, and WHO health equity statistics.

Socio-ecological Model

A framework identifying levels of society—policy, community, institutional, interpersonal, and individual—used to understand how views and behaviours across different levels impact an individual.

Policy Level

The tier of the socio-ecological model consisting of legislation, laws, and guidance (e.g., government policies like student loan systems).

Community Level

The tier of the socio-ecological model that encompasses cities, neighbourhoods, and local resources.

Institutional Level

The tier of the socio-ecological model that involves organisations such as schools, universities, and workplaces.

Interpersonal Level

The tier of the socio-ecological model consisting of family, friends, and social networks whose opinions and support influence an individual.

Individual Level

The innermost level of the socio-ecological model, focusing on personal knowledge, skills, and behaviours.

Social Determinants of Health

Non-medical factors and daily living conditions that shape daily life and influence an individual's or population's health outcomes.

Income and Social Protection

A social determinant of health defined as having sufficient financial resources to meet basic needs and access social support.

Early Childhood Development

A social determinant of health referring to a child's early experiences, care, nutrition, and learning opportunities that shape their future health.

Structural Conflict

A social determinant of health characterized by violence, war, and conflict that threatens individual safety and homes.

Social Inclusion and Non-discrimination

A social determinant of health centered on being treated fairly, including everyone in society, and not facing discrimination.

Food Issues

A social determinant of health involving a lack of reliable access to sufficient, affordable, and nutritious food.

Working Life Conditions

A social determinant of health encompassing workplace safety, compensation, working hours, and overall employment conditions.

Sociological Concepts

Concepts used to understand society, social systems, and institutions, and their resulting impact on individuals, groups, and communities.

Social Class

A broad sociological grouping in society whose members share a common economic, cultural, or political status.

Culture

A shared set of beliefs, values, behaviours, and knowledge passed down through successive generations.

Disability

A physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that limits an individual's capacity to carry out normal everyday tasks.

Economic Status

An individual's, family's, or group's material and financial standing within society.

Childhood Experiences

The full spectrum of events, relationships, and environmental conditions an individual encounters from birth to age $17$.

Gender

Socially constructed roles, behaviours, and identities that societies consider appropriate for men, women, and gender-diverse people.

Race

A social category that groups individuals based on visible physical traits, such as skin colour.

Health (Ottawa Charter, 1986)

A positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capacities; viewed as a resource for everyday life—not the objective of living—enabling individuals and groups to realize aspirations, satisfy needs, and cope with the environment.

Health (Bircher, 2005)

A dynamic state of well-being characterized by a physical and mental potential which satisfies the demands of life commensurate with age, culture, and personal responsibility.

Aboriginal Health (National Aboriginal Health Strategy, 1996)

A holistic, whole-of-life view encompassing the cyclical concept of life-death-life, defined not merely as an individual's physical well-being, but as the social, emotional, and cultural well-being of the whole community in which each person reaches their full potential.

Health (WHO, 1948)

A complete state of physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Well-being (WHO, 2021)

A positive state experienced by individuals and societies that serves as a resource for daily life and is determined by social, economic, and environmental conditions.

Health Equity

The absence of unfair, avoidable, or remediable differences in health among population groups.

Global Life Expectancy Gap

People in high-income countries live an average of about $18\,\text{years}$ longer than those living in low-income countries.

Healthy Life Expectancy Disparity

The average healthy life expectancy is $68.1\,\text{years}$ in high-income countries compared to $55.3\,\text{years}$ in low-income countries.