WEEK 2: BELIEFS, REPRESENTATION AND RISKS Flashcards
What is healthism?
Healthism represents a particular way of viewing the health problem, and is characteristic of the new health consciousness and movements
Healthism is a well-recognized socio-cultural phenomenon in the western (and westernized) middle classes, characterized by;
*High health awareness and expectations,
*Information-seeking, self-reflection, high expectations,
*Distrust of doctors and scientists,
*Healthy and often ‘alternative’ lifestyle choices
*A tendency to explain illness in terms of invisible germ-like agents and malevolent science
Outline characteristics of people potraying healthism
*Young or middle-aged, from university educated, information-rich, professional background
*Vocal and articulate (aware of, and keen to exercise, citizen and patients’ rights)
*Exercise a high degree of consumer choice (hence, seeks multiple opinions), often in the private sector
*Health-aware and enthusiastic in seeking information about health and illness via books, magazines, Internet
*Generally makes positive lifestyle choices, e.g. takes regular exercise, diet aligns approximately with official recommendations, tend to avoid excessive alcohol, though a surprising proportion may smoke cigarettes
*Concerned about ‘unnatural’ substances (chemicals, vaccines, drugs, additives
Outline the impact of healthism
*Healthism in the consultation room is often associated with a poor professional–patient relationship
*Is a common source of irritation and stress to health professionals
*It has the potential to distort health care provision and effect unnecessary investigations and treatments
Outline the tensions between risks, choices and the body
*Tension between public health and individual rights
e.g Quarantines and use of seatbelts and helmetPublic
*health surveillance for both infectious and non-infectious diseases is crucial in order to understand the patterns of diseases, and for the planning and execution of remedial action
Surveillance, to be effective, necessitates that either doctors or laboratories comply with public health mandates that clearly intrude on privacy (e.g like reporting names of those with TB or HIV in a register as it was done)
*Mandatory immunization of school children clearly intrudes on or burdens parental autonomy
Yet, both the protection of children from infectious disease and the ensuing ‘herd immunity’ by high-level vaccination coverage, which protects those who cannot be vaccinated, depend on such mandates
Is it appropriate for the government to impose restrictions on competent adults in order to protect them from harming themselves?
From the moment of the injury, society picks the person up off the road;
*delivers him to a government hospital and government doctors
*Provide him with unemployment compensation if, after recovery, he cannot replace his lost job
*if the injury causes permanent disability many assure the responsibility for his and his family’s continued sustenance
What is the role of the government in modifying, discouraging or even prohibiting behaviors that increase both morbidity and mortality?
Wearing helmets decreases a motorcyclist’s risk of death or severe injury in the case of an Accident
What makes one disease threat more culturally salient than another??
*Narratives of disease constitute potentially profitable forms of news and entertainment
*The newspapers, books, and the Film industry seek to translate cultural anxiety into economic gain
*Advertisers sought to mobilize fears of disease that might be linked to specific products: e.g energy drinks, white sugar etc
*Collaborations among scientists and journalists searching for newsworthy discoveries depended on the efforts of a third set of players who emerged in this time period:
Large, well-organized groups of health activists and reformers who had their own keen sense of publicity
NOTE
The landscape surrounding risk and rights remains immensely complex
*The choices of one person can impact upon the life choices of another
*The solution taken following a difference of opinion is likely to depend upon who holds the power
*There is often no ideal solution to a complex situation, but rather a series of compromises to find the best fit
