inequality seminar Flashcards
what does sociology study
- people’s interactions with those engaged in medical occupations
- the way people make sense of their illness
- behaviour and interactions of healthcare professionals at work
medicalisation
- areas of behaviour/life become defined as medical problems
- natural things e.g. pregnancy and childbirth becoming more medicalised
- normal responses to loss/adverse events requiring intervention of doctors to legitimuse/manage them
consequences of work related stress
individual: poorer physcial/mental health, poorer health behaviours: alcohol, smoking, diet
society: loss productivity + work days
health service
sick role - patient
- exempts ill people from daily responsibilities
- not responsible for being ill and is unable to get better without medical help
- must seek help from healthcare professional
- social obligation to get better asap to take up responsibilities again
sick role - healthcare professional role
- objective + non-judgmental
- must not act out of greed/self-interest, pt interests first
- obey profess code of practice
- necessary knowledge to treat pts
- right to examine intamatetly, prescribe treatment and wide autonomy
social/socio-economic influences on our health
collective set of conditions in which people are born, grow up, live and work
- gender
- ethnicity
- education
- employment
- income, social status, financial security
- health system
gender effect on health
men have higher mortality
women have higher morbidity
why may women have higher morbidity
visit dr more?
live longer so diseases of elderly?
present differently and assessed differently e.g. poorer Rx for heart disease
gender differences in disease management
- F w MI recieve less guideline based diagnosis and invasive Rx
- F obtain dialysis later than men and undergo fewer transplants
- dely referreral F RA pts
ethnicity and health: south asian
higher rates heart attacks
higher prevalence T2DM
ethnicity and alcohol
-most minority groups have higher rates abstinence and lower levels drinking
people from some ethnic groups more at risk alcohol related harm
- Irish and Scots more alcohol-deaths than english, welsh
- sihk men higher rates liver cirrhosis
- minority groups have similar levels alcohol dependence despite drinking less
dealing with health disparities relating to ethnic differences: identify barriers to use of health service
patient level: language concerns, understanding system, beliefs
provider level: understanding differences, skills and attitudes
system level: organisation of appts and referalls
culturally competent care
combination of attitudes, skills and knowledge that allows an understanding and therefore better care of pt with different background to us
housing as social factor
- indoor air quality
- mould spores, dust mites
- low/high temps
- lead exposure
- secure home ownership
housing - area of benefit
improvements to MH following housing improvements
how might education influence health: psycho-social effect
social standing, sense of control, social support
bolster’s individual capacity and autonomy
how might education influence health: access to different employment
improve income - housing, environment, diet
benefits - sick pay, pension, holidays
better working conditions - exposure to hazards, autonomy
how might education influence health: healthy knowledge
benefits of lifestyle change
awareness of risk assoc with health behaviours
capacity to negotiate system
employment as social factor
provides income and financial security
provides social contacts
provides status in society
provides purpose to life
unemployment is assoc w inc morbidity, premature mortality
employment can be source adverse health depending on situ
media and healht
shapes and stereotypes views
shapes expectations
WHO def health inequalities
differences in health status or in distribution between different population groups
the avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries
vulnerability: WHO
degree to which a population, individual or organisation is unable to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover from impact of disasters
esp children, pregnant women, elderly, unwell, malnourished, poverty
scot gov: adults at risk
- unable to safegurad their own well being, property, rights, other interests
- at risk of harm
- affected by disability, mental disorder, illness or physical/mental infirmity
