Theories of Social Inequalities in Health Flashcards
What are the two primary goals of the Fundamental Cause Theory paper?
- Contextualizing risk factors
- Introducing the notion of social conditions as fundamental causes of disease
How does socioeconomic status (SES) relate to health outcomes?
Low SES is linked to lower life expectancy, higher overall mortality rates, and higher rates of child and perinatal mortality
SES influences health outcomes across different times and places.
What are the four primary reasons why social conditions are considered fundamental causes of disease?
- Influences multiple disease outcomes
- Affects outcomes through multiple risk factors and mechanisms
- Involves access to flexible resources that can be used to avoid risks or minimise the consequences of disease
- Connection is persistently present even when intervening mechanisms change
What types of resources are considered flexible resources in the context of fundamental causes?
- Knowledge
- Money
- Power
- Prestige
- Beneficial networks
True or False: The association of SES is stronger for preventable diseases than non-preventable diseases.
True
Example: Heart disease vs. cancer.
What does Health Lifestyle Theory address?
The influence of individual choice (agency) versus structural conditions (social class, gender) on health behaviors
Examples include diet, exercise, and smoking.
Define ‘Health Lifestyles’.
Collective patterns of health-related behavior based on choices from options available according to life chances or circumstances.
Define ‘Agency’ in the context of health behavior.
The capacity of individuals to act independently and make choices.
Define ‘Structure’ in the context of health behavior.
Social, political, and economic systems that shape individuals’ lives.
What does Bourdieu’s concept of ‘distance from necessity’ explain?
Class differences in lifestyles; greater distance from economic necessity allows for more refined personal tastes.
What is Bourdieu’s notion of ‘Habitus’?
A cognitive map that guides and evaluates choices and options based on social situations.
How do socioeconomic disadvantages influence health development according to Kim, Evans, and Chen?
Chronic exposure to cumulative risk factors can cause dysfunction in the brain and physiological systems, increasing risks for illnesses.
Fill in the blank: Health lifestyles are defined as _______.
[collective patterns of health-related behavior based on choices from options available to people according to their life chances or circumstances]
What are the implications of the Fundamental Cause Theory for health interventions?
Advocates for interventions that address social conditions rather than just individually-based risk factors.
What is the fundamental causes theory?
The observation that social conditions or socioeconomic status influence diseases/health outcomes across rimes and places.
Dualism of structure
Constraining and enabling nature - social structure determines individuals actions and limit their choices, on the other hand, the continual force of individuals actions forms the structure.
