Public health and sociology

Question 1

what is health

Answer 1

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Question 2

what has been the biggest factor in reducing TB

Answer 2

Improvements in social condition

Question 3

how are the gaps in social class changing over time?

Answer 3

the gap between the two is rising

Question 4

what factors affect social class?

Answer 4

Social class is a measure of:

• occupation
• stratification
• social position
• access to power
• access to resources

Question 5

how can social class be quantified ?

Answer 5

Registrar General’s model (occupation focused) or the NS-SEC model.

Question 6

how does income per capita effect life expectancy and pathologies experienced?

Answer 6

initially as income per capita rises the life expectancy increases too as epidemic diseases are reduced.

As QOL increases epidemic diseases are replaced with degenerative ones and any increase in IPC makes little to no difference

Question 7

what is the largest factor affecting populations, within different countrie, that effects a populations health?

Answer 7

extent of income division within a society that determines population health

Question 8

what is the inverse care law

Answer 8

The availability of good medical care tends to vary inversely with the need for it within a population.

Question 9

what is incidence?

Answer 9

The number of new cases per unit time (can be expressed as a percentage or per e.g. 100,000).

Question 10

what factors affect incidence?

Answer 10

Incidence can be increased by:

• screening identifying new cases
• increased risk factors

It can be reduced by:
- decreasing risk factors e.g. primary preventions.

Question 11

what is prevalence

Answer 11

The number of existing cases at a particular point in time (can be expressed as a percentage or per e.g. 100,000).

Question 12

what is sociology?

Answer 12

Sociology is the study of social relations and social processes. It is the measure of social interdependencies.

Question 13

what are social relations?

Answer 13

the bonds between people and groups of people

Question 14

what are social processes

Answer 14

where direct human actions are a result of collective human actions

Question 15

give some examples of social structures?

Answer 15

religion
family
medical profession

Question 16

what is ‘the sick person role’

Answer 16

People inhabit social roles and illness allows a legitimate deviance from social obligation where s sick person should

• get better
• are not responsible for their condition
• should seek help and cooperate with the medical profession

Question 17

what is the medicalisation hypothesis?

Answer 17

Professional’s tend to see problems in terms of their own profession. Doctors therefore see everything medically.

Therefore some conditions that seem medical can be in fact products of social forces. For example: ADHD/depression?

Question 18

what is iatrogenesis

Answer 18

Iatrogenesis is the unintended adverse effects of a therapeutic intervention. It can be clinical, social or cultural.