The relationship between society and health is examined through sociology of health and sickness, sociology of health and wellness, or health sociology. It is a branch of research that is interested in all facets of life that have an affect on and change our health and wellbeing, including both historical and modern impacts.[1][2]
It proves that social processes interact with and have an impact on our health and welfare from the moment we are born until the moment we die. These factors may include the environment in which we were raised, the perceptions of sickness held by those in our immediate social circle, or the influence of technology on our health.
As a result, it emphasizes how social constructs such as our understanding of health, wellbeing, and how we interact with them influence both our health and the medical science that addresses it.
This understanding is used by health sociology to challenge long-held beliefs about the human body as a machine and to challenge the notion that the mind and body may be treated as separate realms. The larger social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental circumstances that have a significant impact on how health and wellbeing are lost, maintained, or enhanced are not considered comprehensively by this biomedical approach.
The biopsychosocial model[5][6] is one alternative model that seeks to encompass these components in addition to the psychological aspect of the mind.
This area of study serves as a broad school, bridging with fields like the sociology of disease, the sociology of the body, and the sociology of medicine[7] to more general sociologies like family or education as they give insights.
Historical background in Sociology
People have always sought the counsel of individuals who are knowledgeable about or skilled in healing. Paleopathology and other historical documents enable a study of how prehistoric societies handled disease and outbreaks.
Ancient Egyptian pharaohs funded doctors who specialized in particular ailments.[9] The earliest identified physician was Imhotep. He was an Egyptian who lived around 2650 B.C. and served as King Zoser’s advisor during a time when Egyptians were developing their medical knowledge. A manual on the treatment of wounds, fractured bones, and even cancer was one of his contributions to medicine.[10]
Maintaining a healthy society required that infectious illness outbreaks be stopped at all costs.[9] Thucydides, a survivor of the epidemic, chronicled the plague breakout during the Peloponnesian War.
Ancient medicinal traditions emphasized the value of preventing illness through ritual and divination.In the ancient world, there were numerous other moral and nutritional laws.[9] Chinese physicians advised exercise, meditation, and moderation to maintain health during the Zhou Dynasty.[9]
In China, physical and spiritual well-being are intimately related in sociology. Ancient Indian health regimens emphasized good dental hygiene as the key to a long and healthy life.[9] The Talmudic code established health regulations that prioritized ceremonial purity, linked disease to specific animals, and established menus.[9] The Mosaic Code and the Roman baths and aqueducts are two further examples.[9]
In the ancient world, the upper class was individuals who were most concerned with health, hygiene, and disease.[9] It was believed that being healthy reduced the danger in sociology.
The leisured class in late Roman society worried about the hygiene of the lower classes.[9] People with money would give to organizations that supported the health of non-elites.[9] With the exception of the greatest cities, physicians and public health concerns vanished after the fall of the Roman Empire.[9]
The Byzantine Empire maintained its public medical system.[9] In many parts of the western world, the mortality rate has decreased as a result of efforts to stop the spread of illnesses like smallpox.[9] Better nutrition and environmental improvements (such as obtaining clean water supplies) are further elements that contributed to the modern population growth.[9]
The Middle Ages saw the beginning of the societal concern for health that exists today in sociology.[12]
The disparity in health between the wealthy and the poor has not narrowed despite the general improvement in global health.[13] In modern civilization, health problems are more frequently attributed to an individual rather than to society as a whole. The late 20th century saw a lot of people holding this opinion.[13]
The United Kingdom-based Black Report, which was published in the 1980s, disagreed with this theory and claimed that material deprivation was the underlying cause of the issue.[13] An extensive anti-poverty plan was suggested in this report to deal with these problems.[13] This did not immediately lead to action because it did not coincide with the conservative government’s viewpoints.[13] The Labour Party attacked the Conservative government for not adopting the recommendations of the Black.
Methodology
The conceptualization, the investigation of measurement and social distribution in sociology, and the explanation of patterns in health and sickness are the three main areas of the sociology of health and illness. Researchers can examine many diseases via a sociological lens by examining these issues. Each culture has a different level of disease prevalence and treatment strategies.[14]
Researchers can examine how various social controls or laws are affected by health by examining those who are ill. It is helpful to look at government statistics and community surveys for estimating the distribution of health and sickness. It is feasible to examine people who have received treatment using official statistics. It demonstrates that they are able and eager to use healthcare services.
Despite the fact that the medical profession places a greater emphasis on “health related behaviors” including alcohol consumption, smoking, nutrition, and exercise, disparities in health were also discovered amongst persons of various social classes and races living in the same society. Many pieces of evidence point to the fact that these activities have a greater impact on health than other factors of sociology.[14]
Sociologists believe that taking a wide view of health and illness is more beneficial in sociology. Sociologists concur that concerns like alcohol consumption, smoking, food, and exercise are crucial, but they also recognize the need of looking at the cultural influences on these behaviors. Sociologists also examine how the production process affects health and disease.
International perspective
Africa
The primary epidemic affecting Africa’s social welfare in sociology is HIV/AIDS.[15] Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), often known as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is a disorder in which the immune system starts to deteriorate and can result in infections that can be fatal. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to two thirds of the world’s HIV patients. More than 15 million Africans have passed away from problems related to HIV/AIDS since the epidemic began.[15]
People in Sub-Saharan Africa who actively and frequently participate in religious activities and who belong to religious sub-groups are more likely to have lower HIV/AIDS infection rates. On the other hand, there are numerous notions that a male who is afflicted can be cured of the virus by engaging in intercourse with it.
HIV has a huge detrimental impact on the economy. Africa’s labor force is gradually shrinking as a result of HIV-related illnesses and deaths. In reaction, both tax revenue and government income decrease. In order to provide care for persons with HIV/AIDS, the government must spend more money than it takes in.[15]
Malawi has AIDS orphans.
The plague of orphans in Africa is a significant societal issue related to HIV. An international issue is Africa’s orphan plague. The majority of the time, HIV affects both parents. As a result, the grandchildren are typically raised by their grandmothers and, in rare instances, by themselves. The kids need to be more responsible because they have to take care of their sick parents.
Asia
The population, wealth, technology, and health care in Asian nations vary greatly, and as a result, attitudes regarding health and illness vary. Afghanistan has the 11th worst life expectancy (44 years old), whereas Japan has the third highest (82 years old).[18] Childbirth and maternal health, HIV and AIDS, mental health, and aging and the elderly are important topics in Asian health.
The sociocultural aspects of religion or belief systems, attempts to harmonize ancient medical practices with modern professionals, and the economic standing of Asian residents all have an impact on these issues.
individuals with HIV/AIDS
Asia faces the same threat as the rest of the world from a potential pandemic of HIV and AIDS. Vietnam is a fantastic illustration of how Asian HIV/AIDS is being shaped by society.
Confucianism has long had a significant impact on Asian belief systems, particularly in China, Japan, and Korea. This impact may be seen in how people decide whether or not to seek medical attention.[Reference needed] The social impact on a person’s ability to cope with a disability is a significant issue in Asia. Cultural values influence how people view people with physical and mental disability.
In sociology China is a good example of this issue. Chinese tradition holds that people should always strive for excellent health, with a focus on health promotion and disease prevention (which is also true in other nations where Confucianism has been widely practiced).[20]
In many Asian nations, childbirth is still handled in a traditional manner and is still viewed from a local perspective. For instance, elder women, frequently the pregnant woman’s mother-in-law, make decisions about pregnancy and antenatal care (ANC) in Pakistan, excluding the expectant mother and father from the process. Depending on their level of education, social position, and financial situation, they may or may not obtain professional ANC.[23]
Male obstetricians are uncommon in Asia, where birthing is still typically a woman’s domain. In most places, female healers and midwives are still prevalent. In an effort to increase live births and enhance maternal health, western techniques are replacing more traditional ones.
Australia
European colonization had a significant impact on the health trends on the Australian continent, which includes the Pacific Islands. While indigenous medical beliefs are not very widespread in Australia, traditional beliefs continue to have an impact on the health care issues in several Pacific island nations.[27] Typhoid and the bubonic plague epidemics were caused by Australia’s fast urbanization.
As a result, beginning in the late 1870s, public health became a profession in an effort to control these and other illnesses. Since that time, Australia’s healthcare system has developed similarly to that of Western nations, with political ideology of the ruling parties having the greatest cultural impact on health care.[27]
vintage heroin bottle
Treatment centers have existed in Australia.
Numerous health issues in the Pacific Islands are attributed by experts to European colonization, which was followed by the globalization and industrialization of island communities.[28] (View Pacific Islands History.) Modernization and gradual economic growth brought forth by European colonization and the Pacific Islands’ delayed independence had a significant impact on nutrition and health care in the region.
As a result of the loss of medical resources brought about by the end of colonization, the newly independent governments were unable to maintain the colonial administrations’ health policy.[28] Nutrition was drastically altered, which resulted in a number of other health issues. Urban areas with greater wealth could purchase food, but many chose unhealthy diets, resulting to “overnourishment” and exceptionally high prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Europe
The World Health Organization’s European Region is leading the biggest initiatives to promote health across Europe.[29] The aim is to promote healthy lives, including environmental, economic, social, and health care, in low-income and disadvantaged communities.[29] Compared to the rest of the globe, Europe has extremely high levels of overall health.[29]
In EU nations, the average life expectancy is roughly 78, but there is a significant difference between Western and Eastern Europe. In Russia, it drops to 67, and in the Balkan states, it rises to 73.[29] Because of the deteriorating socioeconomic condition, Europe is observing a rise in the spread of HIV/AIDS in Eastern Europe.[29] Eastern Europe has higher rates of diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular illness.[29]