exam 2013 Flashcards
In relation to the ways in which we measure health, explain the difference between morbidity and mortality, AND give ONE example of a morbidity measure and ONE example of a mortality measure?
Morbidity: incidence of disease - hospital admissions, rates of disease (e.g. rates of diabetes)
Mortality: incidence of death - death rate, death certificates
What are 2x types of non-occupation based measures of SES and give an example of each?
Income: census data
NZ Dep: access to internet
ELSI (Economic Living standards index): Living standards
Education: census data
In relation to the statement “Females are sicker but men die quicker”, why is it difficult to prove whether this is correct?
Recording and reporting: woman are more likely to report to doctor.
Also are not necessarily sick when they go to the doctor, checkups, woman related checks,(women visit there drs. more and it does not necessarily mean that they get sick more often)
Mortality statistics are generally more reliable that morbidity.
Do women have higher morbidity statistics because they are genuinely sicker, or due to the methods of recording and/or individual reasons for visiting the doctor.
What are two ways in which you can decipher the fairness of an inequality and whether it is also an inequity?
Contemporary principles Respect for Autonomy- some people in society have an unfair inability to make informed decisions (e.g. Lower SES citizens, have lower education (making decisions)
Justice: is there a systemic disadvantage for a different group?
Beneficence or Maleficence: some groups have greater health benefits
Marmot approach: inequality becomes an inequity when the disparity can be reduced by a reasonable means.
-don’t have to undergo huge structural and societal changes in order to reduce
What are the differences between absolute and relative poverty and give an example for each?
Absolute poverty is the extreme lack of fundamental resources (food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education) It depends not only on income but also on access (to services/welfare below a certain minimum): food share, world bank poverty lines
Relative poverty is the lack of resources to obtain a socially acceptable life.(child who is unable to buy proper shoes for PE, while the rest of his classmates can)
income relative to a country: NZdep
in effect, excluded from ordinary living patterns, customs and activities. This is a relative measure so is deprivation relative to other groups in society.
-lack the resources to obtain the type of diet, participate in the activities and have the living conditions and amenities which are customary, or at least widely encouraged, or approved, in the societies to which they belong
Briefly apply the cultural/behavioural explanation to explain the higher rates of motor vehicle accidents in males compared to females
- risk taking culture
- bigger boy racer culture
- right of passage
More of a culture in males to thrill seek and take part in dangerous behaviour.
Behavioural norms contribute to the comparative amounts of male car accidents, males are more likely to drive recklessly compared to females.
NOT due to any biological predisposition but rather peer pressure and social expectations, but one males.
Briefly apply the material/structural explanation to explain the recent outbreaks of measles in New Zealand?
-lack of correct information about measles
-difficulty immunising Low SES
The Material/structural explanation suggests that being healthy requires resources, but also access to resources ( such as health systems that are appropriate and accessible.)
This is important for understanding differences in health status between ethnic groups and SES groups
The outbreak of measles can be explained using this that those people who were first infected did not have the resources to get immunised.
-low SES area where there were not many clinics to be immunisation.
-Cost indirectly contributed to them not going to prevention due to transport . Less distribution of HC facilities in these areas, therefore have to travel more to reach.
-Taking time off work may not have been an option due to having to support their family and not being able to afford the time off.
-lack of educational resources about immunisation
-poor vaccination programmes.
- easy access to anti-immunisation information
Why do models and definitions matter with regard to the way we look at disability?
significant impacts on the way in which people perceive disability
different models and definitions change way we treat the problem, e.g. focusing more on the social barriers for disabled people (social model) or concentrating on treating and caring for the impairment themselves (medical model)
significant effect on the identity and empowerment of people with impairments- definitions for disability often what people identify with.
What does the model determine?
- Treatment
Changes the way money is spent to mitigate disability
More society than just individuals - Longer term to reduce disablement people face
identity and empowerment - means to identify, classify and measure and these may link directly to entitlement to health resources
-models determine the degree of empowerments and treatment of disability
-definitions affect people’s view on people with disability
-and disabled peoples view on empowerment and identity
Describe the research that led to the “executive stress” myth and the subsequent research that dispelled this myth, AND briefly explain the relevance of the research findings for understanding the effect of the environment on our health.
BRADY
Higher paying job when you have more responsibility this creates an environment of higher stress and therefore worse health outcomes
Brady
Brady did an experiment with monkeys where he presented that with more control you this increases your stress
-however the monkeys were already anxious (debunked the idea)
Later studies have shown that less controllable situations are more stressful than controllable ones.
This shows the important part that SES plays on our health.
-If you have a lower SES increased likelihood to have a low income and stressful job, with less control, therefore contributing to worse health outcomes
What was Brady’s experiment?
Monkeys conditions to press lever
Monkey who could stop were found to be more stressed
-but research was poorly designed
-Monkeys were already anxious to be in the situation
Subsequent studies found that people in lower control, have more stress = poorer health outcomes
Phenomenon of “learned helplessness‟ AND explain its relevance to understanding the culture and behaviour of lower socioeconomic groups.?
When people are subject to adverse and uncontrollable events, they begin to believe that they cannot escape and have no control over what happens to them
Low SES more likely to experience these events and therefore lack motivation and maintain the unhealthy behaviours they have as they believe nothing will change/they are incapable/no capacity to
How are material and structural resources are related to disablement?
VICIOUS CYCLE
society creating disablement to impaired people
Less likely to be employed= lower income
less available suitable housing
Structures = barrier to health access
=barriers to information
Material Resources Less likely to be employed and therefore income is limited and they are more reliant on welfare/benefit. Less availability of suitable housing. Higher costs of living. Structural Resources Access barriers to services, including health. Physical barriers from their impairment. Non-physical barriers ie mental barriers and attitudes. Barriers to accessing information and education
What are two structural barriers?
barriers to health access
barriers to information
Why are racial groups socially constructed?
-concept of race is based on superficial features
based on skin colour, eye colour, has colour, not legitimate genetic differences
continuum of skin colour from very pale to the darkest skin colour- millions of hues of skin tone
-race is socially constructed as there is very little basis in genetics (very little biological basis)
No objective way to measure race (neither for ethnicity)
-as race and ethnicity are socially constructed
Evolutionary (rest tropical rays and absorb vitamin D)
Also reflects geographical origins
over time different people of different skin colours have moved,
