Inequalities in Health & Illness 1 Flashcards
What does the biomedical model of health and illness suggest about the cause of disease and what is meant by “health”?
It locates the cause of disease in the individual
It sees each health problem as being in isolation
It sees health is a biological process
What does the social model of health and illness suggest about the cause of disease and what is meant by “health”?
It locates the cause of disease in the relationship between individual and society
It sees health as a social construct - it cannot be understood by focusing on biological processes alone
What is the difference in the way the biomedical and social models of health and illness focus on risk factors?
Biomedical focuses on genetics and clinical risk factors
It focuses on the risk factors on an individual level
Social focuses on social structures and risk factors
It focuses on risk factors to ill health being related to the individual and society
What is the difference in what is highlighted by the biomedical and social models of health and illness?
Biomedical highlights risk behaviours and individual behavioural change
Social highlights social change
What is the key focus of the social model of illness and health?
It locates health and illness as a social construct that cannot be understood by only focusing on biological processes
How does the fact that there have been changes in adolescent mental-health behaviours over the last 10 years relate to the social model?
There is no change in genetics or biology that accounts for the change in behaviour
The environment has changed, and certain behaviours have changed due to social factors
How does wealth relate to life expectancy?
Wealth does not necessarily equate to life expectancy
Why is a high life expectancy not always a positive?
Life expectancy describes how long you will live, but not how well you will live
It does not take into account quality of life
What are the UN indicators of poverty and deprivation?
- dirty water
- lack of sanitation
- lack of shelter
- poor nutrition and insufficient calories
- lack of essential medical and maternity care
- no access to education
- information deprivation
What do poverty and deprivation lead to?
- high infant mortality
- high morbidity
- premature death
What is meant by absolute poverty?
A condition where household income is insufficient to afford basic necessities of life
e.g. food, shelter, clothing
When is someone defined as living in absolute poverty?
If a person is living in conditions that meet at least 2 of the UN indicators
What is meant by relative poverty?
A condition where household income is a certain percentage below median income for that country
How is relative poverty defined within the EU?
Having a household income that is < 60% of the national median
What is the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) used to measure?
It measures how well certain areas are doing compared to others
It is about the earnings of the area in which you live, not individual earnings
What are the 7 domains of deprivation included in the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)?
- income
- employment
- education
- health
- crime
- barriers to housing and services
- living environment
It is mainly driven by income and employment
What is health inequality that is present from birth in the UK?
The area in which the child is born
e.g. a boy born to a family in the most deprived area of Blackpool can expect to live for 67 years
a boy born to a family in the least deprived area of Hart can expect to live for 89 years
How can the area in which you are born affect health outcomes?
In more deprived areas, there is a reduction in life expectancy
People also live a shorter length of time being disability-free
What is meant by human agency?
This is the capacity of an individual to act independently
They have the ability to make choices and impose those choices
What constrains human agency?
Social structures constrain the ability to exercise choices that are made by an individual
What is meant by social structures?
Society is composed of:
- an organised set of institutions
- patterns of relationships
How can society affect decisions made relating to health?
Social structure, such as media, wealth, law, economy, social networks, family, religion can affect the way in which choices are made and imposed
How is women’s agency constrained to an extent?
Through the social context of family
They have increasing agency over the choices they make with their bodies e.g. contraceptives
What did Pierre Bourdieu - Habitus state about social classes?
It is not the type of work you do that determines your place in society, it is your interactions with society
e.g. it easier for people with relatives in the medical profession to get a place in medical school
