Title: Use examples; discuss ways in which a person’s socioeconomic class and his/her social situation can have an impact on his/her health. This essay will discuss ways in which a person’s socioeconomic class and his/her social situation can have an impact on his/her health, using examples. I will be defining the key terms: socioeconomic status, social class and health; then proceed to discuss about how poverty, income, housing, employability and social environment can impact on a person’s social situation and their health. Socioeconomic status is a term used to weigh up a person’s/family social and economic status. This status is determined by factors such as income, education, occupation and social environment (Leary, 2007). A person’s …show more content…
Stress is connected to their self esteem and identity as they cannot keep up with modern society. If a person cannot keep up with society, they are labelled a loser. When a person is stressed in circumstances like this, anything to help them relax will be useful for them. (Oakley, 1989) citied in (Nettleton 1995) smoking is a result of lack of income, poor housing etc. General speaking, the poorer the women/men are, the more likely they are to smoke Poor health choices like smoking and excessive drinking helps the homeless and families deal with poverty. Wealthier people are concerned about enduring to enjoy their pension rights. Whereas, poorer people just want to live for today. In social situations, the most deprived areas, where lower class person’s and families live find it difficult to access good health and social care due to finances. In some cases, they end up going to A&E for medical attention. The middle class make use of the health care services that are available to them but suffer the downfall of waiting in long queues and having limited time to talk. The wealthy have an advantage over them by seeking private care (Bupa) meeting all their needs without having to …show more content…
The National Health Service (NHS) was put in place as part of the welfare system to reduce the numbers of ill health. However studies have suggested that along with this, to solve the issue the government should adopt policies to target poverty rather than spending money on health education (Black Report 1980) and (Acheson Report 1997) Though much has been done since then to try and alleviate the socioeconomic divide and health, there is still a lot that needs to be done. Authors Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, agrees with this and pointed out that there are still concerns of health inequality impacting on the lives of people in the UK. They believe that with the rise in life expectancy, similarly there is an increasing gap between the rich and the poor (The Spirit Level 2009.) The Marmot Review gives evidence to inequality that existed between socioeconomic/social class and health, between the rich and the poor (Fair Society, Healthy Lives 2010.) Sir Michael Marmot was assigned by the UK government to review the increasing levels of inequality. The summary raised points such as reducing inequality in the UK revolves around social justice, economic benefits etc. He also stressed the fact that he still wants health standard to be as equal in the deprived areas as in the wealthier areas, suggesting that the health standard is different in wealthier areas than in deprived
I chose not to use any of the prompts provided, but instead connect the article to what I learned in my sociology class lass quarter. In class we watched part one of film series of Unnatural causes, titled Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making us Sick "In Sickness and in Wealth". While reading the article this reminded me about the cases studied in the film to see whether wealth inequality contributes to making people sick. In the film they focused on the social determinants of health, wealth and education. In both the article and part one of the film Unnatural Causes they focused on three different individuals and how their health are affected by they choices they make and the access they have to care.
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are increasingly becoming a major problem of Public Health around the World. The impact of resources and material deprivation among people and populations has resulted in an increase in mortality rate on a planetary scale. Social determinants of health are defined as the personal, social, economic and the environmental conditions which determines the health status of an individual or population (Gardner, 2013). Today’s society is characterized by inequalities in health, education, income and many other factors which as a result is becoming a burden for Public Health around the world. Research studies have shown that the conditions in which people live and work strongly influenced their health. Individuals with high levels of education and fall within the high income bracket turn to have stable jobs, live in the best neighborhood and have access to quality health care system than individuals who have low education and fall with the low income bracket. This paper is to explain different social determinants of health and how they play ...
Health and inequality have always been two very controversial topics in society. Society tends to classify us into a class (or social class) based on an unequal distribution of power, wealth, income, and status (Germov 2015: p. 510). Your socioeconomic status”(SES) is also a major factor in the health inequalities we face in todays society. What does socioeconomic status (SES) even mean?
Outlined within this essay are two sociological theories which have been investigated this will be in conjunction with a contemporary health issue. This then will be related to how the individual’s lifestyle and social class to give the reader a better understanding of this health issue.
Variations in life expectancy and its changes are one major cause of rising income inequality. How long a person lives, as well as their quality of health, can have an important and huge impact on their income and social mobility. The life expectancy of the bottom 10% increases at only half the rate that the life expectancy of the top 10% does (Belsie). This shows that improvements in medicine benefit the wealthy more than the poor. The less wealthy have decreased access to good medical insurance and cannot afford more expensive, quality medical care. The poor are less likely to invest in healthy food and exercise, lowering life expectancy and overall health. These changes result in a cycle that causes the poor to be less healthy, and the less healthy to become increasingly poor. On the other side, the rich have different variations of habits, education, and environments, which can affect life expectancy, often positively for the
Working Group on Inequalities in Health (1982) Inequalities in Health (The Black Report), London, HMSO, 1982.
Overtime, sociology has played an essential role in the aid of healthcare policies and procedures, along with playing a fundamental role in one’s understanding of health inequalities. This paper explores how sociology has played such a role in healthcare, whilst including discussions regarding the influence of social structures and inequalities in the health of an individual, their family and community, with the topic of health variations between social classes being the main focus of the discussion. A structured overview, review and evaluation of a specific health policy in the UK will also be provided within this paper. Sociology in healthcare. Sociology can be defined in a number of ways, due to its almost limitless scope (Denny, Earle,
Disparities in cancer are caused by the complex interaction of low economic status, culture, and social injustice, with poverty playing the dominant role (Freeman, 2004). So I ask the question: Does socioeconomics impact a man’s prostate health?
People living in areas such as Playford, has shown to have a lower socioeconomic position, which made them at highest risk of poor health (WHO, 2017). Then, the social determinants of health support the understanding the difference between populations health levels, but also the reasons behind why some groups are healthier than others (Marmot, 2005) and the issue becomes a little bit deeper as people living in different areas related to others differently, so then the social stratification of health is affected by differences in gender, marital status, residential areas and ethnicity (Elstad,
Socio-economic class or socio-economic status (SES) may refer to mixture of various factors such as poverty, occupation and environment. It is a way of measuring the standard and quality of life of individuals and families in society using social and economic factors that affect health and wellbeing ( Giddens and Sutton, 2013). Cockerham (2007 p75) argues: ‘Social class or socioeconomic status (SES) is the strongest predictor of health, disease causation and longevity in medical sociology.’ Research in the 1990s, (Drever and Whitehead, 1997) found out that people in higher SES are generally healthier, and live longer than those in lower SES.
Gavin Turrell, B. F. (1999). Socioeconomic Determinants of Health:Towards a National Research Program and a Policy and Intervention Agenda. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology.
Marmot in his famous article titled Social Determinants of Health Inequalities firmly stated that actions targeted to improve healthcare access should not be focused only on healthcare system but rather on the social determinants of health. Marmot reiterated that health inequalities, disparities and social determinants of health are totally preventable through more inclusive wider social policies. He insists that inequalities of health between and within geographical areas can be reduced through positive actions.3 And such actions should be focused towards improving the social determinants of health in all areas to give everyone equal access to healthcare services.2-3 Explaining that lack of healthcare access are driven by SDOH, Marmot further argues that health cannot be improved by itself alone, but by enhancing those factors that determine health.
Socioeconomic Disparities and health are growing at a rapid rate throughout the United States of America. To further understand the meaning of Socioeconomic Disparities, Health and Socioeconomic disparities & health, this essay will assist in providing evidence. Disparities can be defined in many ways, of which include ethnic and racial background and class types that deal with it the most. Due to the low income some individuals receive, they have less access to health care and are at risk for major health issues. Although, ethnicity and socioeconomic status should not determine the level of health care one should receive or whether not the individual receives healthcare.
...on, race, and political belief, economic or social condition. Improving the poor health of disadvantaged individuals and reducing health gaps is important but not enough to level up health through socioeconomic groups. The objective of tackling health inequalities can be changed to local needs and priorities of a community allowing wide-ranging partnerships of support to be organised. However it needs to be made clear that what can be done to help improve the life chances and health prospects of individuals living in poverty may not come close to bringing their health prospects closer to the average of the rest of the population or prevent the gap living on throughout the generations. Being clear about what is trying to be overcome and achieved needs upmost importance in the development and delivery of policies that will promote health equality across the population.
... the elderly of Irish society it is also evident that there are issues over medical cards, problems with waiting lists, private consultations fees and shortages of beds as well as a general deterioration of quality of services on offer at care home facilities. Problems in the healthcare system provide incentives that favour the treatment of private patients over public patients. Such differences have effectively consolidated the two-tiered system. Recommendations to eliminate health care inequalities would be to introduce the government's proposal of the universal social health insurance scheme. For this to be achieved citizen engagement is important to abolish the current range of inequalities embedded in the Irish Healthcare system. The principle of equity could then potentially be enhanced and thus create a more equal society not based on money but based on need.