Health, Illness, and Disability

Question 1

What is illness?

Answer 1

Being poor in health

Question 2

What is disease?

Answer 2

Having an abnormal bodily or psychological condition

Question 3

What is chronic disease?

Answer 3

Condition wherein disease symptoms are long-term , drawn-out or extend over a long period of time; ir show a slow progression, or a recurring.

Question 4

What is morbidity?

Answer 4

Rate or proportion of disease in a given locality or notion

Question 5

What is mortality

Answer 5

Incidence of death

Question 6

What is excess death?

Answer 6

of deaths resulting from a given risk factor that exceed the # for an unexposed or baseline group [ ex. smoker vs. non-smoker]

Question 7

What is the health status of African Americans compared to Euro-Americans

Answer 7

African Americans generally present with poorer health outcomes than most other major ethnic/ racial groups in U.S.

Question 8

What are some of the important factors which contribute to health disparities for African Americans?

Answer 8

-Lack of access to health/medical services ( because of income and education; under-employment
-Greater lifestyle risk factors ( ex.cigarette smoking, drinking, geographical location/residence; cultural belies; lower socioeconomic status
-Health system policies and attitudes of healthcare providers

Question 9

What deaths of African Americans die from at a disproportionate rate?

Answer 9

-Heart disease - Cancer - Stroke -Diabetes - Homicide - Infant Mortality - Chronic Lower Respiratory [ Asthma] Disease - Septicemia - Alephritis - Kidney Disease

Question 10

Why do African Americans have such a high rate of disability?

Answer 10

Cause by higher levels of morbidity

Question 11

How do cultural factors contribute to the problem of high rate of disability?

Answer 11

Problem of poverty:
-African Americans less likely to make routine visits to PCP - Overutilization of Emergency Room Services - Can only afford low-cost health plans - Use of clinic staff rather private care physician
Not being located near treatment facilities:
- Lac of availability of convenient medical facilities -Lack of affordable facilities in community

Question 12

How specifically does the high rate of disability affect access factors/ barriers to healthcare for African Americans?

Answer 12

Cultural Barrier:
African Americans distrust healthcare system and its practitioners
-perceived lack of respect from healthcare system - being faced with medical/technical jargon - their perceived non-communal/ interpersonal connections with clinical staff

Question 13

Health Belief Model

Answer 13

Maintains that readiness to take a health action is determine by four belief attitudes

Question 14

What are the four attitudes of the health belief model?

Answer 14

-perceived susceptibility to disease [ benefit] - perceived perception of severity of consequences if get disease [cost] -perceived benefits of taking action [benefit] - perceived barriers to or costs of taking action required [ cost]

Question 15

Possible differences in health beliefs ( AAs as compared to whites:

Answer 15

-AAs = underestimation of susceptibility to cancer risk; their possible fear of radiation - AAs cultural values emphasizing present and post may lead them to perceive themselves as being less susceptible to consequences of disease [ ex. hypertension] - AA attitude of fatalism- “It’s God’s will”

Question 16

What is the theory of planned behavior?

Answer 16

The notion that one’s intentions to perform a certain behavior are the best predictor of behavior

Question 17

Importance of the theory of planned behavior

Answer 17

Subjective norms lead to development of one’s attitudes which give rise to one’s behavioral intentions and thus to enactment of desired health-related behaviors

Question 18

What is the theory of planned behavior used to explain?

Answer 18

-Prevention behaviors -Physical activities - Cigarette smoking - Condom use - Violence

Question 19

What is the self-efficacy theory?

Answer 19

Concerned with whether people can exert control over their motivation, behavior, and social environment

Question 20

What does the self-efficacy theory predict?

Answer 20

Predicts that one’s beliefs about one’s capability to perform a desired task will predict one’s success of completing that task

Question 21

High Self- Efficacy Components

Answer 21

-Specific beliefs - High goals - Greater persistence when goals not met - Effective goal strategies - Successful coping effort - Beliefs developed through knowledge, skills, practice, support from significant others

Question 22

Low Self -Efficacy Components

Answer 22

-General beliefs -Low goals - When goals not met quick to give up - Inefficient strategies - Beliefs lead to anxiety - Beliefs are less so developed through knowledge, skills, practice, support from significant others.

Question 23

What are commonalities across the 3 health models

Answer 23

• Assumption of health as a valued priority - Assumption that people have potential or ability to engage in actions on their own belief - Cognitively- based theories; emphasis on beliefs - Vast health interactive devoted to them

Question 24

Criticisms of the 3 health models

Answer 24

-Behavior seen as individuality and rational - Minimization of importation of economics and discrimination in terms of engaging in health-related behaviors

Question 25

What are the important difference between Wester and Non - Western Conceptualization of Illness ?

Answer 25

Western:
-illness= person-centered -Disease[ discrete, episodic, or both - illness causes= natural or etiological agents [ genes, germs, stress…] - diagnosis by trained experts - time limited, specific treatment - treatment by trained experts - treated with pharmacological medications
Non-Western:
- Illness is not so person centered - Diseases seen as long-term, fluid - Illness cause are also supernatural, or interpersonal [ violate norms, social roles, religion…] - diagnosis by root doctors - treatment through use of church, spirituality, family, treatment by root doctors, treated with root and herbs

Question 26

What is HIV/AIDS?

Answer 26

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome brought about through the action of the human immunodeficiency virus, which attaches to l-lymphocytes [CD4 proteins] of the immune system, and which overtime, degrade the immune system such that it cannot ward off various other deadly infections- leading t death

Question 27

Who are included in the highest rates for HIV/AIDS and the primary transmission rates

Answer 27

Highest rates for:
-AAs overall [ 10x] - AA women overall [ 23x] leading cause of death for those 25-34 - AA infant cases overall
Primary transmission rates:
-AA men, it’s sexual content with other men who are infected [ sex, drug needles] -AA women , it’s high risk contact with infected AA men - AA infants, its breast milk from infected mothers

Question 28

Risk Factor of HIV/Aids

Answer 28

-AA women - contact with AA men who are bisexual or IV drug users - IV injections fro both AA men and women - Unknown status [ HIV positive or not?] - High rates of sexually transmitted diseases - Concealment of homosexual behavior among AA men - High AA male incarceration which increase chance for drug involvement and high-risk sex - Poverty which often is associated with lack of preventative care behaviors

Question 29

Research Findings - AAs and HIV/AIDS

Answer 29

-If strong ethnic identity, higher perceived behavior control [ in avoiding AIDS] , and have fewer friend who engage in risky behavior - If make use of afrocentric values, higher awareness of sexual risks

Question 30

What is sick cell disease?

Answer 30

Group of genetic blood disorder providing protection against malaria largely found among those having African and Mediterranean ancestral origins found among 1 of every 400-500 AAS

Question 31

Sickle Cell risk factors

Answer 31

Risk Factor:
- Though can have good psychological adjustment, those with disorders must cope with many health challenges, including persistent pain

-Tend to have higher incidence of social and psychological problems:
-depression -disrupted social development - having to deal with stigma associated with having disorder - concerns about being stereotyped and possible being discriminated against in the workplace

Question 32

What is Diabetes?

Answer 32

Group of diseases characterized by high level of blood glucose, resulting from defects in insulin secretions, insulin actions, or both

Question 33

What is Type 2 Diabetes

Answer 33

Leading cause of death/disability for AAs
-Greater than or less than 20 = 15% prevalence -65-74 = 25% prevalence -AA women > 55 = 25% prevalence

Question 34

Etiology of Diabetes

Answer 34

-Genetics/impaired glove tolerance - being overweight, especially in terms of upper body fat -low physical activity levels -Can be treated with diet, pills or injections :
people at high risk can lower their chance of developing disorder by making lifestyle modifications in terms of diet and exercise.