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Sociology > Topic 11: social inequalities in health > Flashcards

Topic 11: social inequalities in health Flashcards

1
Q

Describe impact of social divisions on us

A
  • E.g. Divisions of class
  • Impact =
    > Income
    > Services we have access to
    > Life opportunities available
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2
Q

Explain wealth and poverty in UK + Europe + N.America

A
  • Wealth is distributed unequally
  • Poor people = manual jobs + longer hours + dangerous conditions BUT earn less
  • 1% of UK population = 21% total personal wealth
  • Poorest 50% population = 7% total personal wealth
  • Substantial number of households = no savings
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3
Q

Define absolute poverty

A

Poor = doesn’t have necessary resources to sustain life

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4
Q

Define relative poverty

A
  • Poor = in relation to others
  • Below 60% of median income
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5
Q

Describe social stratification

A
  • Structured system = categories groups of people = creates unequal life choices
  • Socio-economic classification = form of stratification
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6
Q

Describe working class

A
  • Wages = weekly
  • Jobs = routine manual jobs
  • Residence = rented
  • Children = expected to get jobs after school
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7
Q

Describe middle class

A
  • Wages = monthly salaries
  • Jobs = non-manual
  • Residences = borrow money to buy own houses
  • Children = encouraged to get higher education
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8
Q

Give the 5 classes based on occupation

A

1) Professional = doctors/lawyers
2) Intermediate = managers/nurses
3) Skilled non-manual = shop assistants/police
4) Skilled manual = electricians/miners
5) Semi-skilled manual = postman/farmer
6) Non-skilled manual = cleaners

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9
Q

Describe 21st century social class

A
  • Using the Great British social class calculator
  • By researchers from 6 UK unis + BBC
  • Online survey = response by 161k people
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10
Q

Give the 7 21st century social classes

A

1) Precariat
2) Emergent service workers
3) Traditional working class
4) New affluent workers
5) Technical middle class
6) Established middle class
7) Elite

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11
Q

Explain the difference in health profile of people by social class

A
  • Boys born in 2 lowest classes = like expectancy 70 = 5 years < than highest classes
  • Men in manual classes = 40% more likely than non-manual to report chronic illness = limit activities
  • Children from manual worker households = more likely to suffer chronic disease + tooth decay than non-manual
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12
Q

What causes the inequalities in health?

A
  • Inequalities in wealth
  • Leads to lifetime accumulation of disadvantages = poor health outcomes
  • Cumulative differential exposure to health-damaging/health-promoting physical/social environments = variation in health/expectancy
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13
Q

What are the 3 ways suggested by Marmot where socio-economic position linked to health?

A

1) Money
2) Status
3) Power

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14
Q

Give the trends in monitoring social inequalities in health life expectancy + mortality + LT conditions

A

LIFE EXPECTANCY:
- Increased over the years male/female
- However decreases from class 1-7 male/female
MORTALITY RATES:
- Decreased over the years
- However increase from class 1-7
LONG TERM CONDITIONS:
- Prevalence increases from class 1-7
- Unskilled = 52% suffer compared to 33% in professionals
- Cancer + CVD increase from least to most deprived

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15
Q

Describe social selection

A
  • Individuals biologically vulnerable to disease = reason why don’t move up social strata
  • Therefore socioeconomic status doesn’t affect health negatively BUT health determines social class
  • Illness> unable to get employment> downward social mobility
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16
Q

What are the limits of social selection model?

A
  • Not sufficient = doesn’t account for differences in health by social class
  • Social mobility usually before serious diseases prevalent
  • Incapacity doesn’t always cause downward mobility
17
Q

Describe the materialist model

A
  • Argues = access to materials + control of resources = influences health
  • Access to resources = education + healthcare + housing
  • Lower socioeconomic status = less likely to access
  • Poverty exposes them to greater hazards = poor housing + pollution + insufficent food = chronic stress + loss of sense of control
18
Q

Explain the context and evidence of the materialist model

A

1) Post-war improvements =
- After WW2 living standards improved = increased life expectancy
- Social inequalities in health persisted
2) Research findings =
- Poor housing + limited access = associated with worse health outcomes
3) Inverse care law =
- Healthcare least accessible in most needed places e.g. impoverished
- If services available = costly + difficult to access

19
Q

Give the barriers to healthcare access

A
  • Availability = shortages + lack of facilities
  • Cost
  • Info = lack of awareness
20
Q

Describe the behavioral model

A
  • How individuals behave
  • Health damaging/promoting behaviors
  • LT studies suggest = differences in health behavior explain only 1/3 social class differences in mortality
21
Q

Give health damaging/promoting behaviors

A

DAMAGING:
- Smoking
- Alcohol abuse
- Unhealthy diet
PROMOTING:
- Physical exercise
- Health literacy
- Health beliefs

22
Q

What is the cultural explanation of the behavioral model/limitations?

A
  • Middle + working class have different culture
  • However even if economic disparities addressed = equal income/access = cultural factors still create health inequalities
  • Practices + dietary habits = influence health outcomes
  • Ethical question = even if cause poor health is it appropriate to encourage cultural change
  • May be infringement of identity + autonomy
23
Q

Describe the psychosocial model

A
  • Society’s inequality structures = psychological stress
    1) Social inequalities = feel subordinate + disadvantaged = imbalance between home + work
    2) Social support = evidence that people withe good relationships + part in community = longer life expectancy than those isolated
24
Q

What are 2 pathways from stress to poor health in psychological model?

A

1) Direct effect on disease development = mental illnesses
2) Indirect when stress expressed by health-damaging behaviors

25
Q

Give some stress-related mechanisms

A

1) Low socioeconomic groups experience = more stressful life events + stereotyping + stigma + social isolation
2) Lack of social relationships = maladaptive coping strategies
3) Affluent individuals have beneficial social connections = buffer against stressful life events

26
Q

Describe the life-course model

A
  • Experiences with social conditions + social positioning over time
    1) Disadvantage at 1 time associated with disadvantage at different time = research suggests poor home experiences in childhood more likely to experience occupational disadvantage as adult
    2) Methodological + conceptual issues = timing/duration of exposure across life
  • Risk factors accumulate + interact over life-course
27
Q

Describe class mobility

A
  • Study showed class of origin + class of destination = both influence health
  • Born working class = bad for health = moving up social ladder cannot compensate
  • Worse health outcome = born + stay in working class as adult
28
Q

Which model is most sufficient answer?

A
  • Combination of materialist + behavioral + psychosocial models
  • Working-class people more likely to =
    > Limited access to resources
    > Smoke + alcohol + unhealthy diets
  • Cause =
    > Wage workers suffer from chronic stress = smoking/alcohol/food are coping mechanisms
    > Working class has poorer literacy = more influenced by inequality culture
29
Q

Define health policy

A
  • Studies providing documentation of health inequalities + policy recommendations in UK
30
Q

What are the 3 health policies in the UK?

A

1) Black report = clear difference in mortality + morbidity across social class
2) Acheson report = Mortality decreased in last 50 years BUT inequalities in health remain = unemployment + housing + education
3) Marmot review = health inequalities post 2010
- Addressed social justice + fairness
- View of social determinants of health
- Properly addressed levels of deprivation

Sociology (12 decks)

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