According to research, life expectancy rose and death rates began to fall, mostly in infants due to the improvement in sanitation and the provision of clean water, improvement on the council houses and the general improved standards of living. The social model believes that ill health is as a result of the inequalities in society and the life circumstances of the disadvantaged. Marxists believe that levels of illness differ in relation to social class, i.e. there is a high level of illness in poor areas because of poor nutrition, excessive drinking and lack of exercises, there is unequal distribution of NHS resources/ postcode lottery (the health care received depends on geographical location) e.g. South Wales is one of the deprived areas in the UK with fewer hospitals and doctors.
There are many sources that an individual can get health and illness statistic from, the government, charitable organization and pressure group and academic researchers and other authors. The statistic that the government collect and produces look at social trends such as smoking, obesity, drinking rates to birth rates, death rates and infant mortality rates. The government also produces the ‘the Health Statistical Quarterly which is a chart that comes out every quarter of the year with birth rates, death rates, and suicide rates that get analysed and grouped by the age, gender, location, and social class of each person. (Health Statistic Quarterly) There have been significant differences in the mortality and morbidity rates (the number of people who have a [articular disease during a specific period) that continue to exist between income groups and social class in well developed countries. This fact seems to remind us of the continuing importance of social and economic determinants of health.
On the other hand, lower class people pick up the habits of them being able to smoke, drink and have junk foods. This is due to them being able to afford foods that are unhealthy which has a bad effect on the body making it harder for their health, and if they were to come ill harder for them to get better due to the lack of nutrients that they are receiving in their poor diets. In these areas of lower class there are fewer doctors, this is due to the high rate of illness that is in the area and the high level of people that need help. Lower class people are more likely to suffer from flu, cancer and other disease due to the misdiagnoses, and the lack of medical attention that is in the area. Mortality and mobility rates are a significant difference between the different groups and classes around the world.
Examine the view that fundamental changes have taken place in the relationship between social class and voting behaviour in the U.K in the last twenty-five years. It is in no doubt that changes have taken place in the relationship between social class and voting behaviour since 1982. Primary evidence for this is that over the period of twenty five years there have been changes in government from Conservative to Labour. However in order to understand the reasons for the change in this relationship, the definitions of social class and voting behaviour must be understood. Social class is defined as the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in society or cultures.
Through the use of social exclusion; racial groups are excluded and separated from the resources needed to be successful. African Americans are more likely to live in poverty stricken neighborhoods than whites who share a similar status economically, however economic opportunities are successfully restricted by pooling these ethnic groups into neighborhoods with a failing school systems and scarce employment opportunities. The limits placed on African Americans economically has a very strong, yet indirect impact on the health of African Americans and namely their offspring and ultimately infant mortality
High levels of illness are more common in areas of low social class, areas of high unemployment and environmental pollution. Lower life expectancy is also more common in areas of poverty. The government do not tackle these problem areas because of cost and also because the more advantaged would end up footing the bill which would place them at a disadvantage. Social classes will always show differences when related to health and ill health in society. The Feminist Approach This approach looks very strongly into the impact of social inequalities on women's health especially concerning child birth and contraception, this
For example someone who lived in Niger might have four children and three of them might die but if they moved to the UK they will have the privilege of better health care, so are likely to have more children where the likeliness of them dying is dramatically reduced. The DTM does not take account of the factors such as famine, natural disasters and war…although it is affected by all of them. The two former factors are likely to reduce the working population; and war is most likely to reduce the working population. DTM assumes all countries will go through the stages in
Factors that affect that influence the needs of individuals in health and social care * Socio-economic factors * Health factors * Lifestyle factors * Physical factors Socio economic factors: Social class Social class is very influencing people of a low class may want designer clothes and expensive, but can’t buy it because of their income. Having a low income can be stressing so people rely on drugs, alcohol and cigarettes to relieve some of the stress they know it’s bad for them but some people can’t cope with the stress some people suffer from a mental break down and end up in hospital. Low incomes can lead to binge eating i.e. junk foods and a take away from chippys. People of a higher income have a choice of what they can eat they rarely suffer from stress they have time to enjoy their life and unwind.
| | |Health Disparity And Its Victims | | | | | When one thinks of modern health care in the United States, patients receiving different quality health care than other patients because of race, gender, or age seems like something from the past. These differences, called health disparities, affect the morbidity and mortality of diseases by someone’s race, culture, environment, sex, age, socioeconomic status, etc. (AMA, 1995-2012). When speaking of health disparities, it is important to note that these differences will include not only a difference of disease according to the aforementioned list, but also a difference in regard to the type of facilities, access to care, and services available to those listed above. An example of health disparities, and how it affects the outcome of disease according to race, would be if African American males from an urban community had a higher mortality rate from cancer than a Caucasian male from a non-urban community.
Evaluate different sociological explanations of health and illness in two social groups (D1) Artefact explanation Strength of this explanation is that it gives an account of technical problems in measuring and defining health. However studies show the link between health and social class are not true to life. Different studies have been carried out and different measures of class and health have shown similar patterns. The amount of people in the lower classes always showing poor health has risen. Natural and social selection explanation One strength of this explanation is that it explains the persistence of high mortality and ill health in lower social classes.