Sociological Explanations of Health Determinants - Essay Example

Sociological explanations and the concept of gender, social class, ethnicity and age Name Institution Date How sociological explanations contribute to the diverse meanings of illness, health and wellness based on the concept of; gender, social class, ethnicity or age. Introduction Several factors influence the state of health and wellness of individuals. Some of these are genetics, lifestyle, environment, gender, national health policy, social status and income but generally, poor social and economic status exposes one to health problems. A well trained and registered nurse should be able to recognize socio-economic factors such as gender, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, culture and gender have a significant influence on a person’s response to, beliefs on health and illness. He/she should therefore plan and execute nursing care appropriately. Good health is not merely absence of illness but rather it is a state of being in whole physical, emotional, mental and social wellbeing. On an individual or personal basis, one describes health in terms of how they feel and their ability to perform certain tasks. Wellness incorporates several factors of functioning aimed at maximizing an individual’s full potential and capability. The various factors are supposed to be maintained at a balance and focused direction. Disease is defined as pathological change in the composition of the mind and body. A disease can be acute or chronic. Acute is where the body reacts fast to the onset of warning signs and can be life threatening if not attended to although some symptoms may not require medical attention and will disappear within a short period of time. Chronic diseases are wide-ranging composed of various physical and mental changes in health. The change in most cases is permanent and therefore requires long term care and support and at times the patient may need to be educated or taken for rehabilitation. Illness is quite personal; where an individual feels unhealthy but is not always because of a disease. One may feel sick or be actually sick. It depends on how the individual feels in regard to the sickness and requires the attention of a nurse. Gender is a social construct that is, it’s a creation of society that is assigned depending on the physical sex of an individual that’s biologically determined at birth. Society socializes the child afterwards to know what is required of his/her gender. Health, Wellness and Disease in Relation to Social Class Social class or status refers to one’s position in the social structure. Sociologists use the Marx Weber’s approach of class, status and power which views socio-economic status to be more than just financial or education success but rather lifetime ease of access to knowledge, resources and opportunities. However, some sociologists argue that this position is not permanent as it can be affected by life circumstances; health being one of them. Economists study on how social-economic status is affected by health and wellness state while sociologists study the effect of socio-economic status on health. Commonly, people in higher economic status are less exposed to life-threatening conditions and have more resources to shield them from such. Socio-economic status effect on health starts early in life; in some cases in the pre-natal stage and compound during their lifetime. A study in the U.S.A (Warner & Hayward, 2002) suggests that childhood conditions could be the reason for the considerable gap in mortality between blacks and whites and further states that availability of resources sets a child on the path to good or poor health. An individual who grew up in a socio-economic environment that provided good nutrition, safety, less health-risking behavior and better access to economic resources has a higher probability of getting good education, job and residential area. He/she will smoke/drink less, eat well and do more physical exercise (Winkelby, Jatalius, Frank, & Fortman, 1992). His status enables him to have less worries and stress. Low socioeconomic status is linked to unemployment and the stresses that come with it such as financial strain and family breakups which lead to poor health (Pincus & Callhan, 1995). Ethnicity/race in relation to Health, wellness and disease In 1845, poor health and high mortality rates were observed among the Irish people in England and was attributed to the poor living conditions that surrounded them. Currently, such conditions are visible among blacks, immigrants and minority groups in many developed countries (Celsius.ac.uk, 2012).Differences in health are related to socio-economic status which at times is determined by one’s race or ethnicity. However, some factors depending on ethnicity or race that affects the chances of getting a disease and also if the disease will result in a loss of functioning, disability or even death. For instance, whether a heart condition will result to disability or death depends on how early it is detected which depends on availability of insurance cover and race. Many immigrants cannot access healthcare and insurance cover unless they have stayed in the country for a certain period of time while others are in the country illegally thus cannot access these vital services. Welcome trust (UK) in a 2008 released results for a study aimed at understanding the relationship between health and ethnicity, stated that “a person’s ethnic background played a role in whether or not he/she is at increased or decreased risk from developing certain diseases. For example, South Asians and African Caribbean people are more likely to develop diabetes than white Europeans; however, while South Asians are also more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease, African Caribbean people are far less likely to suffer from the disease than white Europeans.” (Wellcome, 2008) Health, wellness and disease in relation to age Health generally declines with ones age. Ageing comes to others as a blessing as it brings a sense of maturity, wisdom and respect and to others as a disappointment due to the social opinion of old age as being slow, cranky and stubborn. Ageing occurs at varied rates but women are much affected, as they tend to experience higher instances of chronic illnesses that may not be life-threatening at a later stage in life than men. Such diseases are senile dementia (United Nations Economic and Social Council, 2011). The old women are subjected in many instances to social isolation despite their need for company and assistance due to the chronic illness they suffer from. Many times they are left in institutions for the elderly in developed countries or at the mercy of a relative. On the other hand, men who marry younger women will have a wife to take care of them in this needy period (United Nations Economic and Social Council, 2011). Health, wellness and disease in relation to gender Gender difference in health is a fact. Gender has a significant influence on health and well-being. As it has been concluded, life expectancy is higher in women that men all over the world although the extent varies significantly worldwide and within a country over time. The geographical variations and the ever changing life expectancy shows the importance of factoring one’s social environment when comparing health status, wellness and disease to gender, race and age or other factors. It is a common belief that women are more ‘sickly’ compared to men. This is thinking may be caused by excess morbidity that depreciates the quality of life of women. This maybe brought about by social factors such as stress and lack of economic resources that is related to social gender roles. Division of labour depending on gender makes women more exposed and vulnerable to stress compared to male roles. For instance women are the ones who take care of the sick and old members of society. They do not have well paying jobs and in some cases, they are not employed at all yet they are supposed to take care of their families and other needs at home. Lack of material, personal and even social resources causes women to get stressed up. Some researchers argue that men and women cope with stress in different ways. Men under stress engage in drug and substance abuse, exhibit anger and hostility while women suffer emotional and apprehension disorders. These responses are influenced by the gender-role socialization patterns that dictate the ways which men and women can express their frustrations. A study in Britain (Macintyre, Hunt, & Sweeting, 1996) based on sex found a high number of women having ill health caused by depression, hypertension, varicose veins with symptoms of worrying, lack of concentration, fatigue and insomnia, headaches, dizziness and fainting. Other diseases such as rheumatism, arthritis, digestive and back problems were observed in both genders in equal distribution. The complexity of this topic and differences in health results, national authorities and time in which and where the studies are done make it difficult to come to a concrete conclusion on this matter but the general observed pattern makes it essential to accept there exists high morbidity in women than men. Conclusion A registered nurse is expected to promote and maintain health as well as prevent illness for individuals with mental and physical illness, disabled or in need of rehab services. They are also expected to ease the pain and suffering associated with old age or at end stages of life of patients. The nurse is expected to provide nursing care together with the multidisciplinary team to achieve their goals in terms of healthcare. References Celsius.ac.uk. (2012, 07 24). ONS Longitudinal Study: Ethnicity and health:. Retrieved 07 22, 2013, from Celsius.ac.uk: http://celsius.lshtm.ac.uk/download/wt050000.html Macintyre, S., Hunt, K., & Sweeting, H. (1996). Gender Differences in Health: Are Things really Simple as they seem? Social Science and Medicine. Pincus, T., & Callhan, L. F. (1995). What explains the association between socio-economic status and health: primary access to medical care or mind-body variables. Advances: Journal of Mind-Body Health , 11, 4-36. United Nations Economic and Social Council. (2011, 04 28). Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women: emerging issues,:. Retrieved 07 22, 2013, from un.org/womenwatch: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/aging.htm Warner, D., & Hayward, M. (2002, 05). Race Disparities in Men's Mortality: The Role of Childhood Social Conditions in a Process of Cumulative Disdavantage. Atlanta, America. Wellcome. (2008, 7 29). Study aims to understand relationship between health and ethnicity:. Retrieved 7 22, 2013, from wellcome trust: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media- office/Press-releases/2008/WTX049978.htm Winkelby, M. A., Jatalius, D. E., Frank, E., & Fortman, S. P. (1992). Socio-economic status and health: How education, income and occupation contribute to risk factors of cardiovascular disease. American Journal of Public Health , 82. Read More