Sociology and health: concepts and applications

Sociology and Health

How sociological factors affect an individual's health

Sociology is a discipline of study that concerns itself with the human society by analyzing its foundation, growth, regulation, and institutions. As such, sociology seeks to understand the interaction between persons and groupings in the human society. Sociology has been in the forefront advocating that social factors have a link with the health wellness or illness of an individual. Authors like Anthony Baron Giddens have argued that sociology is concerned with not only the study of the human society but also how it interacts with other aspects that are external to an individual or groups (Barry and Yuill 2011, p.21). This has led in the rise of the notion of medical sociology, which is concerned with the understanding of the fact that external factors have an impact of an individual or group's health.

There is a distinct relationship between an individual and the society or the structures, such as gender, in which they live. The study of sociology is relevant in a bid to understand the social factors that are responsible for illnesses and ability to be able to access health care services. Whereas natural sciences use biological explanations to understand the causes of ailments, sociological sciences emphasize on the social context in explaining and understanding the health of an individual. Such social factors include but are not limited to age, gender, race, social class, region, and tribe (Barry and Yuill 2011, p.23). These factors lead to the health fitness or illness of an individual as they form a pattern within and among societies. These patterns of an individual's chances to life are the fundamental basis for the argument that medical conditions are a result of social factors and structures rather than biomedical factors.

The founding fathers of sociology, though not very articulate, appreciated that social factors had an impact on one's health. According to Cockerham (2007), one such founding fathers of sociology is Emile Durkheim, a French Sociologist, who formulated the structural-functionalism theory that supported the idea that social factors contributed to the state of health of an individual. This theory emphasizes the idea that social facts such as norms and values are have the capacity of putting forth internal limits on the behavior of individuals causing them to behave in a particular way. According to Cockerham, Durkheim applied the basic principles of sociology to study the problem of suicide in Western Europe by identifying social factors that were external but contributed to one taking his or her life. This indicated that stressful sociological conditions could affect a person's health negatively, and sometimes shortening their lives.

Assumptions that health issues arise only from within an individual's body and that treatment should be as such, can be misleading and dangerous ((Nettleton 2006, p.18). Although genetic factors contribute to the health status of an individual, social and environmental factors should not be taken for granted as they play a pivotal role. According to the author, the sociology of health has demonstrated that health and illnesses are socially designed. Mortality and morbidity of an individual are related to the social structures and differ depending on gender, age, social class, and race. The health status of an individual is apparently a direct outcome of social factors apart from the biological factors. The understanding of these factors will go a long way in addressing the underlying issues instead of assuming that only biological factors contribute to the well being or illness of a person.

Karl Max, on the other hand, contributed to the understanding of the idea that there exists a relationship between social elements with physical conditions of an individual. According to the Marxist theory, the economic structure of a society defines its social phenomena in the sense that social changes result from changes in the economic relationships (Barry and Yuill, 2011, p.22). Max argues that capitalism and industrialization brought about social divisions, which were defined by non-ownership or ownership of property. This led to economic inequalities among and within societies contributing to inequalities in health between the working and the middle classes. This clearly indicates that social factors, which result from the economic statuses of individuals and societies, contribute to the fitness or illness of an individual.

The Marxist theory has been under sharp criticism from the feminism theory as having ignored the impact that social structures, such as gender, have on the disparities between men and women (Barry and Yuill, 2011). This theory underscores the fact that social structures within the society have a significant influence on the inequalities in the provision of health care. This theory has been pivotal in the revolution of the medical field since it provided a wider perspective of the sociological issues that play a part to the well being of an individual. For example, previously, pregnancy and childbirth were considered natural processes, which were supposed to be handled by women, but have since received intense medical interventions with men dominating in the profession of obstetrics.

There have been inequalities in the provision and access to health care across the world. For example, according to Barry and Yuill (2011, p.17), compared to the rest of the citizens in the world, the citizens in the United States of America are generally healthier. However, health care systems in U.S. have a number of pertinent issues, which contribute to the inequalities in the provision of healthcare. According to the author, these problems include unequal distribution of health care based on gender, race, ethnicity, social status, and region; and inequality in the provision of health care education where inner city and rural parents are inadequately educated on the issues of health care. It is clear then that social factors like race, ethnicity, social class, region, gender and age among other have an impact on one's health.

Health providers can apply sociology to manage social factors that undermine one's health. Symbolic interaction is a crucial element of sociology, which is helpful in aiding the medical professionals understand the basics of managing their interactions with their patients. According to Andersen and Taylor (2008), symbolic interaction involves the study of how the interaction between a health professional, and a patient can be dealt with, especially when what is generally considered "unusual" is handled as "usual" and vice versa ( p.13). For example, symbolic interaction is paramount in understanding how gynecologists can help their patients understand that a gynecologist exam is normal rather than an act of intimacy (Andersen and Taylor). Medical practitioners can utilize this study to reap optimum results from their interactions with patients that are under their care.

Nurses should study sociology in order for them to understand the context within which they are operating. A nurse cannot separate health care provision and society as the social context of an individual patient dictate the appropriateness of care provided to him or her. For instance, the nurse should understand the family background of the patient since the family is one of the primary and most important institutions of the society. This information is crucial because shaping of health care should be based on information gathered about a patient in the context of his or her family (Cooke and Philpin 2008, p. 41).

Sociology of health and illnesses plays a pivotal role in improving the way health services are given to individuals. For instance, it is useful in changing the health policies where health professionals related formally with their patients. For example, medical professionals should adopt the sociological view about illnesses rather than basing their arguments on biological knowledge. Health care professionals, in addition, should learn to respect the opinions and accounts of patients rather than taking a patronizing status while interacting with them. By utilizing of sociological analyses that scrutinize transformations in the socio-economic circles, which have taken place in the new millennium, medical practitioners can clearly explaining and dealing with the health issues that are dominant in the society today (Nettleton 2006, p.33).

According to Allen (2006), the escalating issue of medical competency through findings forwarded by medical sociology is a great step towards alleviating sicknesses while improving lives. In addition, as more people take interest in the study of sociology in relation to the medical field, will see more lives enhanced, which will in turn save more lives. However, it should be clear that it is not only the medical practitioners who need to study sociology, but all individuals in the society need to understand the social factors that affect one's health. This will enable the society to deal holistically with health issues that they face.