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Sociocultural Inequality and Health Outcomes
Abstract
This paper discusses the relationship between health and social class in the United Kingdom with regards to gender, ethnicity and age. It examines how culture effects health perceptions and health outcomes. In addition it establishes a definite link between social and health outcomes based on different social models.
It also discusses different sociological perspectives on inequality in health outcomes and concludes by providing a list of initiatives that can be taken to reduce inequality in both social and health outcomes.
Table of Contents
1- Title page
2- Abstract
3- Table of Contents
4- Introduction
5- Health and Wellbeing
6- Relationship between health and social class
7- Cultural view on health and illness
8- Social and health outcomes and Life Chances as explained by sociologists
9- Addressing the inequality of health outcomes
10- Strategies to improve health along all social classes
11- Conclusion
12- References
Introduction
There has been a surge in health consciousness throughout the world in the recent years. People today strive for quality and healthy life rather than an abundant life. However, having an abundant life is somehow related to the quality of life people enjoy. This forms the basis of a sociocultural understanding of health outcomes in the contemporary society.
A healthy life doesn’t come about without effort. There is more than a single demand to creating a healthy life. A healthy life demands, psychological, social, environmental and physiological well-being. When the demands of all these areas are met, it contributes to the structuring of a good life that can be termed collectively as a healthy life.
Health and Wellbeing
Meikirch Model of health defines health as “… a state of wellbeing emergent from conducive interactions between individuals' potentials, life's demands, and social and environmental determinants”. So health cannot be merely constructed as a state of absence of illness, it is inclusive of both a healthy mental state and physical well-being (Bircher and Kuruvilla 2014).
This
ings about certain conclusions regarding how socioeconomic status of individuals can affect their health. Studies have shown that there is a direct relationship between health and social status and that health outcomes improve with improvement in the social status of an individual (Office for National Statistics, 2011).
The findings of the Black report, the Acheson report and the Marmot Review propose some interesting views in this regard.
The undeniable link between the socio-economic situation of a population and health outcomes can clearly be demonstrated through the Glasgow effect where poor health outcomes and high mortality rates of residents in Glasgow, Scotland have been attributed to the deprivation of this post-industrial region of Western Central Scotland (Walsh et al. 2010).
Relationship between health and social class (relating to gender, ethnicity and age)
Inequalities in the British society can be clearly seen across all age groups and ethnicities. This inequality has been found to spread to health outcomes where studies have shown a striking difference in rate of mortality.
Social Class
Studies have shown that in areas that can be considered highly deprived the life expectancy of men is 9.2 years lesser than those in the richest areas in 2015. Women showed a lesser gap of about 7.1 years. Newton JN et al. thus notes the clear disparity in life expectancy between the various social classes. (2015). Mathews D (2015) notes that people with the lowest income are greatly adversely affected when there is lack of or scarce public services.
Gende
When it comes to mortality, the rates have been significantly higher in men than in women. In addition, incidence of advanced and serious diseases is also more in men than in women. Diseases like cancer, cardiovascular diseases and other critical conditions are found to be more in men than in women in UK.
The rate of disability, however, is greater in women than men. This factor has been noted to increase with age (Acheson, 1998). Women also live longer in disability and dependence than men. Studies have shown that life expectancy in...