Understanding Society Notes Health and Illness

Understanding society- Week 8 – Health and Illness
Why do sociologists study health and illness? * Helps us understand how society works. For sociologists, the experience of sickness and disease is not about what happened to an individual; it is about what is happening in society, especially how resources are distributed. For example, poor living and working condition actually make people sicker and poorer people die earlier than with wealth. Disease and inequality are intimately linked... live in a infested over crowded house, those impoverished conditions that have made them sick, later return once the doctor cures them. Sociologists are interested in the relationship between social structures, institutions of medicine.
What is health? * Absence of disease. Ability to do those things which society seems normal. A state of physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. * According to WHO health of a state of complete physical, psychological and social wellbeing. Fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition. * Who have demonstrated that health and the spread of disease are influenced by social factors such as class, gender, ethnicity, and location. Health is not only the product of biological or natural conditions. A sociologist perspective on health provides insight into the connection between society and out health. Focuses on external factors which cause certain groups of people to experience health – sociological imagination
Common sense view of health in modern societies * Socialised to view illness an individualistic way in modern societies. That is, we are socialised to see illness as something caused by genetic factors or lifestyle choices. I.e. fast food, smoking, drinking. Sociologists agree alcohol, smoking, diet and exercise are important issues, but they also see the significant of the impact it has on our health
Social inequality and health * Social determents of health include from this health promotion document produced by the state government of Victoria
Different life expectations across and within different countries * Average life expectancy in the least developed countries is around 64 years. African continent registering the lowest LE at below 50. LE is higher in rich industrial countries. Australia has a LE of 80, but indigenous Australians around 10 years lower. These health inequalities (reflected in LE) suggest that social factors such as environment in which they live, housing, crime, pollution, poverty and the health system impact on morbidity and mortality.
Social determinants of health * What social factors impact on the health of individuals in this film? (see documentary) Michael Moore. * People who don’t have private health insurance. * Unequal societies result in sickness and disease experiences. With those at the bottom getting sicker and dying sooner – from what are known to be preventable and modifiable social circumstance. The more equitable the distribution of wealth, the healthier the population.
The social determinants of health in Australia.
Social class factors: * Occupational work hazards – disabling illness and death – far greater risj of people working in lower-class jobs. * Lack of social resources: good housing and housing location; income, savings, education ( higher levels, = better understanding of health hazards), understandable health information * Inability to take out private health insurance * Gender = a significant social factor in the ways that health, illness and health care are experienced * Male rates of accidental and non accidental injury are higher than for women, can be attributed to differences in gender socialisation – masculinity exemplified by risky behaviours * 2009: 9.6% deaths from car accidents = male, compared to 3.5% for females. 77 % were males. Although twice as many women present with depression and anxiety * For females – more likely to experience poverty – health related problems. * More likely to have conditions mis–diagnosed. Less likely to be included in medical research * Anorexia has not always existed where it does exist today it is primarily in wealthier nations. About 10% of eating disorders sufferers are men * The rise of eating disorders is the product of a paradox in modern society * Just as more and more foods are available to use thought the globalisation of food and improved storage technologies, there is also a cultural norm that women need to be this in order to be desirable. * There is also fare more ability today than every before to manipulate food and our bodies based on medical and scientific information * This can lead to strain in some individuals: a form of deviance where the person is attempting to over-achieve the desired goals of society, namely for women to be thin and thereby beautiful and over using the legitimate means. * Importance of physical, attractiveness for women as a cultural norm * Desirable body images of men differ from those of woman * Burmberg (1997) argues that commercial interests increasingly play on the body angst of young girls. Advertising pitched at young girls depicts the happy, popular, attractive girl as necessarily thin * The body is central to young girl’s sense of self. Looking Glass self = o am thin and beautiful? * Paradox= women’s role in society has changed over years, yet woman are still judged by their appearance.
Gender and health * Sex selection and the devaluing of females in some part of the world is also an example of gender as a social determinant of health * 5 year old girl in India just been gang-raped. Devastating impact on her future health.
Society response to illness * Talcott parsons – American functionalists (1902- 1979) * Too much illness is bad for society because people cannot fulfil their social roles when they are sick. If too many people are unhealthy, society’s functioning and stability suffer. * Norm = health deviance = illness * Therefore, illness, like all forms of deviance, needs to be socially controlled. * The question is, how does this social control of illness occur in modern society * Parsons answer: illness is controlled society via the mechanism of the ‘sick role’ * For parsons, to be sick is to enter the ‘sick role’, which is controlled by the medical profession. * The medical profession has the power (as a formal agent of social control) to prevent individuals from opting out of their social roles and disrupting society from functioning properly. They are gatekeepers to the sick role. * The sick role: there are 2 responsibilties, and 2 rights that are diagnosed by a doctor that they are sick. 1. Obligation on the part of the patient to seek medical diagnosis and treatment (respn.) 2. Role of patient to cooperate with the doctor. Make legitamte attempts to recover fromt he illness. 3. Expempt from performing normal roles 4. Sick person is not considered responsible for their illness * The aim of the medical profession is to overcome peoples illnesses and return them to normal social functioning social roles. This gives a lot of power to th medical profession because they are the gatekeepers. * Parents are also gatekeepers.

Symbolic interaction * It is not illness that makes sick people deviant, but societies reaction to the illness and the labelling of it as illness * Labels lead to stigmatisation,” the situation of the individual who is disqualifies from full social acceptance” (Goffman 1963, p.9). * Three reasons for stigmatisations that could be applied to illnessL 1) Some illness are stigmatised because they are associated with behaviours that are stigmatised. Example, HIV/AIDS associated with homosexuality and intravenour drug use 2) Seem frightening and mysterious – i.e. cancer and various types of mental illness 3) Violate our expectations concening normal social interaction. Example, difficulty of communication – verbal and non-verbal.
Medicalisation
* Describes a process by which non-medical problems defined and treated as medical problems. It can cause increased anxiety for people and increased power for medical profession and pharmaceutical industry. * Childbirth: a medical treatment? * Over medicating. * In Australia – prescription rates for Ritalin rose from 11,114 in 1992 ro 264, 269 last year * No comprehnvive research has been carried our on its possible long term effects on whildrens brains and bodies. * Some argue the symptoms of ADHD are reflections of the growing pressure and stress on modern children * We have medicalised child hyperactivity and ignored researching wether there are social causes for the observes symptoms which could be addressed. *