15 - Understanding Inequalities

Question 1

What is a disability?

Answer 1

Restricted ability Interaction between impairment and social world, focussed on impact on function of individual. (not focused on the cause)

Question 2

What is a handicap?

Answer 2

Old term for social disadvantage

Question 3

What is the biomedical model of health and illness?

Answer 3

Locates cause of disease in the individual. Focuses on health as a biological process, genetics and clinical risk factors. Physiological impairment –> disability –> social disadvantage Treat the impairment

Question 4

What is the social model of health and illness?

Answer 4

Locates cause of disease in the relationship between individual and society. Views health as a social construct. Focuses on social structures and risk factors Social barriers –> disability

Question 5

What does the social model highlight?

Answer 5

Social change

Question 6

What does the biomedical model highlight?

Answer 6

Behavioural change and risk behaviours

Question 7

What is the causal pathway in disability?

Answer 7

The defects cause the disability which causes the social disadvantage

Question 8

Examples of environmental barriers causing disability in the social model

Answer 8

No wheelchair ramps, others can’t speak sign language, no brail for the blind

Question 9

Examples of psychological barriers causing disability in the social model

Answer 9

Stereotypes (lazy, burdens) Prejudice (pre-conceived ideas about groups) Discrimination (direct, indirect) Victimisation

Question 10

What is absolute poverty?

Answer 10

Condition where household income is insufficient to afford basic necessities of life: Food, shelter, clothing If a person is living in conditions that meet at least 2 of the UN indicators

Question 11

What is relative poverty?

Answer 11

Condition where household income is a certain percentage below median income for that country. In the EU Relative poverty defined as having a household income < 60% of the national median Median disposable income for UK in 2017 was £27,300

Question 12

What is human agency?

Answer 12

• Capacity to act independently - Ability to make choices and impose those choices - Expression of individual power

Question 13

What is society composed of?

Answer 13

• Organised set of institutions - Patterns of relationships

Question 14

Who came up with the Social Model of Disability?

Answer 14

Oliver

Question 15

What is the Social Model of Disability?

Answer 15

Presents disability as a cause of societal barriers

Question 16

What is connection between socioeconomic status and mortality?

Answer 16

Higher professions = lower rate of mortality

Question 17

What is intersectionality?

Answer 17

A theoretical framework for understanding how aspects of one’s social and political identities might combine to create unique modes of discrimination (gender, race, education, culture, sexuality, ability, age, ethnicity, class, language) Identifies that interlocking systems of power have compounded effect.

Question 18

What is inequality?

Answer 18

Systematic difference in the distribution of power, resource and opportunity in a social system

Question 19

What are the 4 determinants of population health? (in order of most to least important)

Answer 19

1. Social/societal characteristics & total ecology 2. Health behaviours 3. Medical care 4. Genes and biology

Question 20

What is the ‘Rainbow Model’? Who is it by?

Answer 20

Health inequalities in society - where your level of health is connected to your socioeconomic level - has led to a growing awareness that many health issues can be determined by social factors. Economic, environmental and social inequalities can determine people’s risk of getting ill, their ability to prevent sickness, or their access to effective treatments. Dahlgren-Whitehead

Question 21

What is the life expectancy of Sierra Leone vs Japan?

Answer 21

Sierra Leone = 46 years

Japan = 83 years

Question 22

What are the 7 UN indicators of poverty?

Answer 22

1. Dirty water
2. Lack of sanitation
3. No education
4. Information deprivation
5. Lack essential medical/maternity care
6. Poor nutrition
7. Lack shelter

Question 23

Where in England has the lowest life expectancy?

Answer 23

Blackpool - >30% children in poverty, 69 years in most deprived area

Question 24

Where in England has the highest life expenctancy?

Answer 24

East Dorsest - healthiest and lowes deprivation, 10% children in povery, 85 year life expectancy in least deprived area

Question 25

What is social class defined by?

Answer 25

Economic, political and cultural factors

Question 26

What is the National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC)?

Answer 26

Organised by occupation –> higher categoires have better opportunities

Question 27

What was The Whitehall Studies on jobs and health?

Answer 27

Study on civil servants in London - lower risk of CVD (and death) for better job positions

Question 28

What was Wilkinson and Pickett’s study on health?

Answer 28

The spirit level - only in the early stages does economic development boost life expectancy

Question 29

What did pierre bourdiea habitus do?

Answer 29

Concerned with the dynamics of power in society, how social order and status can be maintained across generations

Question 30

How much does health problems associated with poor housing cost the NHS every year?

Answer 30

At least £600 million per year

Question 31

What was the Siegler et al. study?

Answer 31

Studied the relationship between NS-SEC (classification) and fatal childhood accidents

Question 32

Key points for social inequality:

Answer 32

• Strong evidence for links between social disadvantage and health inequalities
• Individual (biological & psychological), material and social factors interact over time to impact on health status
• ‘Solutions’ to health inequalities reflect different beliefs and political ideologies

Question 33

What was Reeve et al’s study (Evidence for health selection theory)?

Answer 33

Up to 50% of homeless people are disabled

Question 34

What was Goosby’s study and evidence for life course theory?

Answer 34

Adult depression and chronic pain linked to parental unemployment, maternal depression and childhood hunger