SOCIAL ISSUES - HEALTH

THE ROLE OF SOCIOLOGY IN UNDERSTANDING HEALTH

• Sociologists emphasize that our understanding of health is significantly influenced by a social context.

  • This means that perceptions of health and illness vary across different time and cultures.

  • The human body is viewed not just as something that is natural but as a social object shaped by society.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HEALTH AND SOCIAL FACTORS

• Health can be closely related to inequalities in class, race and gender.

  • For example lower social classes tend to have poorer health outcomes

    • Example: Lower life expectancy among lower-class individuals.

  • Gender: Women report higher illness levels but generally live longer.

  • Ethnicity: Studies show that individuals of Asian descent experience higher heart disease rates, while individuals of Caribbean descent have higher instances of strokes.

DEFINING HEALTH AND ILLNESS

• The definitions of health and illness vary in their views and understanding of the terms.

• One one hand, individuals may define health based on an objective, scientific basis, while on the other hand it can be defined based on the subjective awareness of people.

  • Definitions stem from different approaches:

    • The Traditional Medical View

    • The Positive Approach

    • Functional Definitions

    • The Lay Model of Health Perspective

The Traditional Medical View

• Here health is defined as "the absence of disease".

  • This view posits a 'normal functioning body' with acceptable variations.

  • Individuals are classified as healthy if they remain within normal boundaries of these variations. They are considered ill when they are outside of these normal boundaries.

The Positive Approach

• Defines health as ‘not merely the absence of disease, but a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual, and social well-being’

  • This view broadens the understanding of health beyond mere physical state, but a wider sense of well being.

Functional Definitions

• Health is described as "the ability to perform normal daily activities".

The Lay Model of Health Perspective

• Based on sociological research into how ordinary people define health

  • Mildred Blaxter found that people link health to issues of:

    • Strength and fitness, mental well-being, vitality, coping capability, contentment, disruption of daily life, and minor illness accommodation.

  • However, Blaxter found that there were differences based on age, gender, and social class among respondents in terms of what factors determine health.

Variations in Ethnic Perspectives

• Research by Howlett indicates that ethnic groups define health different.

  • For individuals of Asian descent, health is viewed functionally; for African Caribbean individuals, it is related to energy and physical strength.

  • Conrad added another element, highlighting that ordinary people define health based on moral dimensions.

DEFINING HEALTH AND ILLNESS: Disease and Illness

• Eisenberg differentiates between disease and illness:

  • Disease: Abnormalities in the structure and function of body organs and systems.

  • Illness: Experiences of disvalued changes in states of being and social functions.

• In other words, illnesses are things we experience that result in an unpleasant impact on our lives and activities, while diseases are abnormal, physical changes in the body.

• One can have a disease without feeling ill and experience illness without a diagnosed disease:

  • Disease without Illness: This happens when the disease does not impact one’s life. Example: Ackernecht found high spirochetosis rates in a South American indigenous population where it was normalized. In fact people without the disease were outcasts.

  • Illness without Disease: Example: L’Esperance found that in the 19th century women were diagnosed with hysteria. It was later found that there is no such disease and that women who challenged traditional roles were given the label as a means of labelling them ill or crazy.

  • The distinction between disease and illness is crucial in understanding health disparities, as it highlights how social and cultural contexts can shape individuals' experiences of health.