Week 10 - Health and Illness

Define health.

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

What do sociologists use to measure health?

1. Morbidity

2. Mortality

Define morbidity.

The prevalence and patterns of disease in a population.

Define mortality.

The incidence and patterns of death in a population.

What is the epidemiological transition?

Historical changes in patterns of morbidity and mortality due to a predominance of infectious and parasitic diseases to degenerative diseases.

Do non-indigenous Canadians or First Nations people have higher mortality rates?

First Nations.

What are some official causes of death?

Cancer, heart disease, stroke, suicide; direct causes of death.

What are some micro-level causes of illness and death?

Individual lifestyle choices like smoking, poor diet, inactivity and alcohol use.

Are micro level causes of illness and death completely individual?

No, those choices can be shaped by greater social patterns, suggesting that those behaviours are not fully due to individual choice.

What are the macro level causes of health and illness?

Social inequalities linked to socioeconomic status, race and immigration.

Explain the social determinants of health.

They are non-medical factors that influence health outcomes, such as the conditions in which people grow, work, live and the wider set of systems that shape the conditions of one’s daily life. These greater systems consist of economic policies, development agendas, social norms, political systems and social policies.

What is one of the most important determinants of global health?

Socioeconomic status (SES).

Why is a high SES so important for health?

Having a higher socioeconomic status gives people access to more resources (ie. adequate housing, safe neighbourhoods, healthy food, clean water, educational opportunities).

How can a low SES affect people?

They might be less likely to feel a sense of control or agency in their lives.

What is the life-expectancy in the Yonge-Doris like?

If it were a country, it would have the highest life expectancy in the world, in spite of its median household income being lower than the cities average.

Why does Yonge-Doris have such a high life expectancy?

1. high walkability

2. easy access to public transit

3. lots of public space

4. most homes in Yonge-Doris are condos and so people have to leave their homes in order to access green spaces. This then increases their community interactions

5. condos are often equipped with gyms, giving residents easy access to exercise

6. there are lots of publicly funded spaces (libraries, parks, community centres), giving people a chance to connect with each other and other social services

7. high percentage of immigrants, specifically recently arrived immigrants (Healthy Immigrant Effect)

8. the Salmon Effect

Define food deserts.

Communities where there is limited access to healthy foods.

Define food swamps.

Communities where there is an abundance of un-healthy food choices.

How does a high percentage of immigrants affect the health of people?

This is because a healthy immigrant effect arises where recent immigrants tend to have better health than Canadian-born people.

This is because the immigration policy selects people who are in the pink of health, are working age, and middle-upper class in their home countries.

Does the healthy immigrant effect last long? Why or why not?

This effect does not last long though as the immigrants very quickly face lower occupational statuses and incomes in Canada

Explain the Salmon Effect.

The idea that some immigrants return to their country of origin when they experience poor health or are gonna die. When they leave it’s not usually recorded in the statistics of their country of residence, which can lead to an underestimation of immigrant mortality rates and make immigrants look so much healthier. 

Why is the maternal health of black women lower than white women (for other reasons than SES, healthy immigrant effect and the salmon effect)?

• black women are more likely to be un-insured outside of pregnancy, giving them less access to pre and post-natal care

• black women are more likely to have chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes and hypertension which are risk factors for maternal health

• the hospitals in which black women give birth are often products of historical segregation

  • 33% of black women said that they were discriminated against because of their race by their doctor

  • 21% said they avoided going to the doctor out of fear of racism

• black expectant and new mothers frequently said that their doctors and nurses didn’t take their pain seriously

Define weathering.

Stress-induced wear and tear on the body from living in a society structured with systemic racism.

What have researchers found on the effects of weathering?

Researchers have found that it can lead to:

1. health vulnerabilities

2. increased susceptibility to infection

3. linked to early onset of chronic diseases (hypertension, diabetes)

4. telomeres (chromosomal markers of aging) of black women in their 40-50s appeared 7.5 years older than white women

What are 2 examples of indigenous discrimination in the healthcare system?

1. Brian Sinclair was found dead in a Winnipeg emergency room when he was ignored for 36 hours

2. Until 2019, indigenous women were being sterilised against their will

What do advocates argue the reason for indigenous discrimination in healthcare is from?

They argue that it is linked to colonial history where stereotypes linked to contagious diseases, starvation, confinement and alcohol were prevalent.

Define environmental racism.

The disproportionate proximity and greater exposure of indigenous, black and other racialised communities to polluting industries.

What are 2 examples of environmental racism?

1. Aamjiwnaang First Nation was on the border of Sarnia’s Chemical Valley, leaving the residents exposed to dangerous levels of pollutants

2. Grassy Narrows, a First Nations community, has been facing generations of harm due to mercury poisoning from a nearby paper mill

What is the conflict theory on health and disease?

They are interested in analysing the commodification of health where being healthy is ‘all about’ buying gym memberships and athletic gear rather than changing any structural conditions.

What is the symbolic interactionists perspective on health?

They are interested in the way people create shared social meanings out of images and interactions.

ie. the selfies being the core of people’s experiences with illness.

What is the functionalists perspective on health?

They are interested in the way that structures produce functions and dysfunctions.

What did Talcott Parsons theorise about health?

That illness is dysfunctional for society because when people are sick they cannot fulfil their roles in society (student, employee, parent) and instead they play a ‘sick role.’

What are the characteristics of ‘sick role?’

1. Sick person is temporarily exempt from their normal duties

2. Sick person is not considered responsible for their condition

3. Sick person has the responsibility to try and get well

4. Sick person has the responsibility to seek competent technical help and follow the doctor’s orders

Explain upstream thinking.

It is the mode of thinking that focuses on preventing people from falling into the river rather than saving them when they’re already downstream.

Hence, it focuses on social determinants of health:

• interventions at the community level like health policies, education and neighbourhood infrastructure