Health, Society and Culture exam 1

Germ theory of disease (late 19th-20th century)

-Biomedical approach: every disease has a specific pathogenic cause best treated by removing or controlling that cause -Medical practice gives little attention to social causes of health and instead focuses on treating disease and illness with drugs

Richard Wilkinson's "income inequality hypothesis"

-Blames degree of inequality among classes within a society for health inequalities Society's overall level of wealth less important -Compelling argument but thus far findings in other research have not supported his position

First epidemiological transition (10,000 years ago)

-Human societies shifted from foraging (hunting and gathering) to agriculture -Marked by the emergence of novel infectious and nutritional diseases

Talcott Parsons

-Publishes The Social System in 1951 -First major social theorist to deal with issues of health, illness, and the role of medicine -Structural-functionalist perspective -Introduced concept of the sick role

Third epidemiological transition (beginning now)

-Resurgence of infectious diseases previously thought to be under control -The potential for the spread of infectious diseases has been significantly enhanced in today's world by the globalization of trade and travel

What do medical sociologists study?

-Social causes and patterns of health and disease -Social behavior of health care personnel and their patients -Social functions of health organizations and institutions -Relationship of health care delivery systems to other social systems

"Whole person" health care (late 20th-21st century)

-Transition from infectious to chronic diseases as leading causes of death (epidemiological transition) around mid-20th century -Recognition that social environment and lifestyle practices influence chronic diseases encourages emphasis in medicine on treating the "whole person"

Life barriers the poor face

-Typically have worse health than the affluent -Are treated within the framework of welfare medicine -Live in disadvantaged urban and rural locales

Causal agents recognized today

1) Biological agents - bacteria, viruses, or insects 2) Nutritional agents - fats and carbohydrates 3) Chemical agents - gases and toxic chemicals that pollute the air, water, and land 4) Physical agents - climate or vegetation 5) Social agents - occupation, social class, location of residence, or lifestyle

Age-adjusted rate

A more specific measure than crude rate and shows differences by age in the distribution of health problems Example: Infant mortality rate

Epidemiology

A multi-disciplinary field that studies the origin and distribution of health problems, whether infectious diseases, chronic ailments, or problems resulting from unhealthy behaviors

Health definition

A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or injury

Case

An episode of a disorder, illness, or injury involving a person

Second epidemiological transition (200 years ago)

Improved nutrition and living standards, public health measures, and medical advances in developed societies led to a decline in infectious diseases and a rise in chronic and degenerative diseases

Why is Medical Sociology important?

Recognizes the critical role social factors play in determining or influencing the health of individuals, groups, and the larger society

Incidence

Refers to the number of new cases of a specific health disorder occurring within a given population during a stated period of time

Medicine of the species

Strong emphasis on classifying diseases, diagnosing and treating patients, and finding cures

Crude rate

The number of persons (cases) who have the characteristics being measured during a specific unit of time Examples: Birth rates and mortality rates

Prevalence

The total number of cases of a health disorder that exist at any given time

Medicine of social spaces

concerned with preventing disease, especially through government involvement in matters of public hygiene

Public's health (19th Century)

declining mortality rates from infectious diseases.

Social environment

refers to actual living conditions, such as poverty or crowding, and also the norms, values, and attitudes that reflect a particular social and cultural context of living

Point prevalence

the number of cases at a certain point in time, usually a particular day or week

Lifetime prevalence

the number of people who have had the health problem at least once during their lifetime

Period prevalence

the total number of cases during a specified period of time, usually a month or year