Lay beliefs and illness

Question 1

What is the focus of sociological research on health beliefs?

Answer 1

discovering context in which social groups use to order their lives

Question 2

Which ‘varied knowledge sources’ do people draw in to inform their own health and social context?

Answer 2

• personal experience
• handed down by word of mouth
• medical professionals
• internet
• school biology
  etc

Question 3

How were disease prevention strategies formulated in the past?

Answer 3

focused on lifestyle issues an the deficits in public understanding of health risk
led to pass info transfer to public, not allowing active involvement in the convo

Question 4

Why may the public may not be able to act on health advice to change an unhealthy lifestyle?

Answer 4

people frequent know what affects their health

but find it difficult due to material circumstances

they can act to constrain their ability to change lifestyle

Question 5

What are the sociological concepts of lay health beliefs?

Answer 5

1. Health as functional capacity

2. Disease ‘candidacy’

Question 6

What is ‘Health as functional capacity’ model?

Answer 6

“health as the absence of disease”
“health despite disease” - proxy for ability to cope

largely a working class conception 
also found in those with chronic illness
less likely to define health in terms of illness

Question 7

What are the indicators for the ‘health as functional capacity’?

Answer 7

• ability to fulfil social and work roles (main health criterion)
• not succumbing to illness is seen as a moral individual characteristic
• health as coping
• health as a ‘reserve’
• cheerful stoicism even when physically ill

Question 8

What is Disease ‘Candidacy’?

Answer 8

• used in lay explanations of disease risk (RR - candidacy) and the efficacy of prophylaxis
• concept in practice is constructed by taking the profile of person and the circumstances surrounding their illness
• can support and challenge biomedical aetiology

Question 9

What are the indicators for ‘disease candidacy’?

Answer 9

• ID of ‘disease candidates’
  (usually formulated by retrospective ID - “they didn’t look like someone who would get that disease”)
• idea of there being a purpose to someone’s illness (teleological)

Question 10

What is the nature of ‘help-seeking behaviour’?

Answer 10

Zola 1973

response to Sx is contingent on:

• cultural values and beliefs
• perception of ‘normal’
• decision to seek help was either promoted or delayed by social factors

Question 11

What are the 5 triggers to seek help/medical care in the ‘disease candidacy’ model?

Answer 11

= SWISS

Social impact
Work impact 
Interpersonal crisis 
Symptoms 
(exceed reasonable time)
Sanctions
(by others who insist help to be sought)

triggers = breakdown of accommodation of Sx

Question 12

What types of help may someone seek in ‘disease candidacy’ model following the 5 triggers?

Answer 12

• self medication
• primary care (GP)
• lay referral system

N;B. 5 triggers: SWISS

Question 13

How have the help-seeking behaviours transformed in the information age?

Answer 13

• enhanced the lay referral system

both in positive and negative ways - can self-Dx or be scared into seeking help