Health Inequalities

Question 1

What is the inverse care law?

Answer 1

States that the availability of good medical care tends to vary inversely with the need of the population served.

Question 2

What is the prevention paradox?

Answer 2

Interventions that make a difference at population level might no have much effect on the individual

Question 3

What is the artefact explanation?

Answer 3

The existence of health inequalities is due to the way statistic are collected and in particular to problems with the measurement of social class

Question 4

What is the social selection explanation?

Answer 4

The direction of causation is from health to social position.

Ie sick individuals move down social hierarchy, healthy move up. Thus chronically ill and disabled people are more likely to be disadvantaged

Question 5

What is the behavioural-cultural explanation?

Answer 5

Ill health is due to people’s choices, decisions, knowledge and goals

Ie people from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to engage in more health-damaging behaviours

Question 6

What is the materialist explanation?

Answer 6

Inequalities in health arise from differential access to material resources (low income, poor housing conditions etc)

Ie lack of choice in exposure to hazards and adverse conditions