P3-Explain patterns and trends in health and illness among different social groupings M2- Compare sociological explanations for different patterns and trends D1- Evaluate the way patterns and trends in health and illness are measured Researches into health inequalities in the UK were published between 2005 and 2007. The life expectancy between those who live in the less fortunate parts of the country compared to the affluent parts of the country is 11 years. This could be due to the fact that people who are less wealthy than others usually don't get the best treatment when it comes to poor health. Compared to those who can afford private doctors, they will receive the best treatment needed. This is due to social class.
There has been another increase in improved medical practice as recently, bypass surgery and other similar developments have reduced heart disease and its related deaths by one third. Public health measures and environmental improvements are more reasons for the falling death rate since 1900. There have been improvements in housing (including better ventilation, and less overcrowded houses), improved sewage disposal methods which helped increase the level of hygiene in areas and purer drinking water which raised the health of citizens. Also, the Clean Air Acts reduced pollution which impacted on the number of deaths. Other social changes which are more reasons for the decline
Cultural explanations are that there is a difference just simply because people are in different classes. This can be simply because of cultural capital, or lack of it, or access to money, which naturally the upper classes have more of than the lower class. Cultural explanations such as upper class people know more about health than the lower class could be the defining factor in health inequalities. The fact that the upper class may simply have a better attitude towards diet and exercise may be the reason that they are healthier and live longer. Another reason could be that the upper classes have a higher cultural influence on doctors, and that doctors may be more likely to believe symptoms earlier of those who are in a higher class so that they are able to be treated more quickly with more success.
A report on inequality in the provision of care by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that “racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare exist and, because they are associated with worse outcomes in many cases, are unacceptable” (Pasick 67). In the report, IOM proceeded by defining these disparities in medical and healthcare as being “racial or ethnic differences in the quality of health care that are not due to access-related factors or clinical needs, preferences, and appropriateness of intervention” (Trivedi, and Ayanian 557). This publication by the IOM has renewed interest from different stakeholders in enhancing the understanding of the healthcare disparities with respect to the minority and marginalized groups. In
It wanted to point out why the NHS had failed to reduce social inequalities in health and to investigate the problems. He would do this by analysing people’s lifestyles and their health records from different social class backgrounds. It found that the overall health of the nation had improved but the improvement was not equal across all the social classes, and the gap in inequalities in health between the lower and higher social classes is widening. It
Many organizations around the United States are researching and trying to explore the causes of these disparities and will work to provide strategies to eliminate them by advancing understanding of the development and progression of diseases that contribute to them. “Racial and ethnic minorities tend to receive lower-quality health care than Whites do, even when insurance status, income, age, and severity of conditions are comparable, says a 2002 report of the Institute of Medicine. Among the better-controlled studies performed to ask the reasons why – some reason have been found to be: healthcare delivery systems and access to health care (cultural/linguistic barriers, system fragmentation and incentives to physicians to limit services), physician biases, patient perceptions and clinical uncertainty when interacting with patients of color”(Mays 201). The main diseases that African Americans die from are cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. Overall, African Americans are more likely to develop cancer than persons of any other racial or ethnic group and have the highest cancer death rate than any other racial or ethnic
Summarizing “Inequality is the Real Enemy” Aaron Paszek 3012584 Eng-102 BN81(1) Polly Toynbee’s essay “Inequality is the Real Enemy” provides an understanding of the social gap between rich and poor. He explains that “social status and respect matter beyond anything and the psychological damage done by being at the bottom is crippling” (330). This persuasive essay presents references from experts that give their take on the correlation with inequality and shorter life expectancy. He gives examples of studies from the book “The Impact of Inequality: How to Make Sick Societies Healthier” by Richard G. Wilkinson. Wilkinson’s message described by Toynbee is that “social environment can be more toxic than any pollutant” (331).
(Burt VL, Whelton P, Roccella EJ, et al, 1995) In this study I found that women have higher odds of reporting hypertension than do men, regardless of their race/ethnicity. Women are more likely to access the medical system and live longer than men. Thus, it is possible that women are more likely to be aware of their hypertension status because of their contacts with physicians. Evidence suggests that the prevalence of hypertension decreases as education increases among non-Hispanic Blacks and Whites, but not among Mexican Americans. (Borrell LN, 2006) Compared with non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks regardless of their education were more likely to report hypertension, with those with a college degree or more having the greater odds.
I have discussed the advantage of the consumer driven health plans. I talked about the advantage and disadvantage of the reforming health care. I believe that the advantages overweight the disadvantages of health care reform. It will allow the uninsured to have health insurance coverage and mandates coverage for all
Wilkinson and Pickett explore two of the most common assumptions about the social gradient that shows people at the bottom of social hierarchies suffer more problems- circumstances and individual tendencies. The authors, in critiquing the material explanation to societal problems, argue that richer nations should do better than poorer ones. This is a flawed argument, as national wealth does not indicate its distribution. A generally wealthy nation may have poorer diets, less educational opportunities, or worse housing in comparison to a less wealthy nation. Wilkinson and Pickett also give reason as to why everyone in a society should be concerned about inequality, not merely those vulnerable to the problems with which it coincides.