Social Construction of Illness and Health Lifestyles Flashcards
Brief knowledge on the case of Lia Lee and what it means to have culture and public health clash
Culture and public health do not go hand in hand sometimes. Lia and elliptic seizures asnd this begs the question: Does she have epipesy that needs to be treated or is this Quag dab peg?-an good omen of the spiritual realm? (believed to be so by the Hmong people?)
Define culture
A system of thoughts and behaviors shared by a group of people
What are some things that culture dictates how we approach things?
Religion, gender roles, communication, orientation to space and time, family, etc.
List example of a problem in communication
Differences in language. May require interpreter, etc. Also differences in non-verbal cues that can communicate meaning.
List example of a problem in differences of the perception of orientation to space and time
- Is time fixed or fluid?
- Is the culture forward thinking or rooted in the past?
- What is the standard unit of time progressing?
Define social organization
How different cultural groups determine rules of acceptable behaviors” family structure, gender roles, religion
What is social construction?
-A conceptual frame work that emphasizes the cultural and historical aspects of phenomena widely thought to be exclusively natural
AND
-Examines how individuals and policy groups contribute to producing perceived social reality and knowledge
Define disease
Pathological changes within the body which are expressed in various physical signs and symptoms.
Define Illness
An individual’s subjective interpretation and response to these signs and symptoms.
Name Elliot Friedson’s theory on the social construction of illness
“[W]hen a physician diagnoses a human’s condition as illness, he [sic] changes the man’s [sic] behavior by diagnosis; a social state is added to a biophysiological state by assigning the meaning of illness to disease. It is in this sense that the physicians creates illness . . . and that illness is . . . analytically and empirically distinct from mere disease”
What are some examples of the social construction of illness from the reading?
- Abnormal versus normal
- Acceptable versus not acceptable
- Desirable versus not desirable
Some on in the stigmatization of illness
- Culture determines which illnesses are stigmatized
- All illnesses are not the same
- Stigmatizations exist for social reasons
Define contested illness
-Illnesses where sufferers claim to have a specific disease that many physicians do not recognize or acknowledge as distinctly medical
-Not associated with any known physical abnormality
-Yet patients say they are suffering from symptoms
Ex: fibromyalgia, Gulf War syndrome (GWS)
What is involved in the social construction of medical knowledge?
- Medical knowledge can represent the interest groups of those in power
- Medical knowledge can support/reinforce inequalities
Define medicalization
-Occurs when human problems or experiences become defined as medical problems, usually in terms of illnesses, diseases, or syndromes
-Medicalization encourages quick-fix medical solutions, rather than looking at deep-rooted social context
-Societal preference for clinical treatments vs. addressing underlying problems
-Implications on future of healthcare
-Medical knowledge shaped by commercial industries looking to promote medical products
Ex: Child birth, baldness, erectile dysfunction
According to Moynihan, what are the five types of medicalization?
- Ordinary processes or ailments as a medical problem
- Mild symptoms
- Personal or social problems
- Possible risks presented as disease
- Data used to maximize the problem
What factors have the greatest impact on our health?
Healthcare
Individual behaviors
Social & environmental factors
Genetics
What are some commonly investigated factors that affect health?
Alcohol use Smoking Dietary habits Exercise Drug abuse Rest & relaxation
What are some contributors to health disparity?
-Having no health insurance or inadequate insurance
-Racism and other “isms” that reduce opportunities or cause discrimination
-Inadequate transportation or childcare
-No time off from jobs to go
Cultural influences
What are two ways to encourage health lifestyles from a public health perspective?
- Health promotion
2. Disease prevention
Define health promotion
-Combined educational, organizational, policy, financial, and environmental supports to reduce risk factors and promote healthy lifestyles
What are some examples of health promotion?
- Assist individuals in their pursuit of specific behavior changes
- Identify healthy people who are engaged in risk behaviors
- Motivate people to change their actions
- Provide support that increases chance of success
What are some health promotion factors?
-Educational support
Provides info about risk behaviors and consequences, helps facilitate learning
-Organizational support
Provide programs and services that encourage participation and set up systems of social support
Policy support
-Taxes that discourage negative behaviors
-Financial support
Provide monetary incentives to motivate change toward healthy behaviors
-Environmental support
Provide rules that govern behaviors and support behavior change
What are the different levels of disease prevention?
Primary prevention
Reduce risk and avoid health problems before they start
Secondary prevention
Reduce impact of disease/injury that has already occurred
Tertiary prevention
Treatment/rehabilitation after an illness
Info on social capital
Central premise: social networks have value & they allow the society to function
Key features of social capital:
Reciprocity
Trust
Cooperation
These features allow society to work together to produce goods/services not only for the individual but for the common good of society
What is the first stage of the stages of change model
1. Precontemplation The first step Person has no intention to adopt change within the next 6 months Person is unaware of their issues Person is not ready Person is not serious about change
What is the second step of the change model
- Contemplation
Person acknowledges there is a problem and is thinking about making a change
Intends to make changes within the next six months
Weighing the pros and cons of change
Person may be in this stage for a long period of time
Person not committed to make a change
What is the third step to the change model?
- Preparation
The third step
Person is planning on making behavior change within the next month
Person is not sure how to make changes and may doubt their abilities
Person may begin a plan of action
Person collects information
“Testing the waters”
What is the fourth step to the stages of change model?
- Action
Person is actually making the changes to modify their behaviors, environment, and experiences on a daily basis
These changes have occurred within the last day to six months
This phase includes a lot of time, energy, and recognition
This person is achieving their goal
What is the fifth step to the steps of changes model?
- Maintenance
Sustained change for 6 months or more
The focus is to prevent relapse
Maintain the progress that has occurred during the action stage
Person is very confident that they will maintain the changes
Avoid temptations and old/new triggers
What is the sixth step of the steps of change model?
- Relapse, doesn’t always happen
In many cases a person may experience relapse
Person may feel like a failure, resume old behaviors, feel like they are no good and experience disappointment
This is an opportunity to regroup and continue to learn and grow from the experience
Are healthy lifestyles practices a matter of individual health or is there more to the story?
There is more to the story. Life chanses are things that either empower or constrain to determine behavioral outcomes. For example, structure, class position, etc. Health lifestyles are characteristic of groups and classes
What is the win-win situation when it comes to individual health?
Combine personal and collective responsibility
Underlying idea: individual choices must be made, but environment and genetics affect the content of choice
Need a combination of:
Personal behavior
Safe conditions
Environments that support healthy choices
