Describe the influence of two sociological concepts of health.
The world health organisation defines health as “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. When health is talked about a popular quote springs to many people’s mind “our health is our wealth”. We can say our health is influenced by many means both derived from our own ideas and from the world around us. The world around us includes facts and theories. When looked at closer we can pick many concepts which all lead to these influences that we see every day. When we think of concepts we think of ideas and ideals. When we look at health we look at what influences it from our culture right down to where we live. Health is promoted and opposed by various groups. This leads to a conflicted view for the world that confuses and cements ideas in many people heads for example e-cigarettes. Many people claim e-cigarettes are good for you, helps you cut the risks but the opposing side is that they have nicotine and are worse than the real thing. This is important to have the debates in health discussions; it helps us develop our own views from other points of view. Sociology can help us study these views and how it affects us as a society. Health is a very broad word it covers many areas. When broken down things become easier to see and spot patterns arising. When health influences are broken down we can quite clearly see the patterns arising. For example, the people with a scoured or poor water source become sick often. The people of a lower social status tend to smoke more compared to people with a higher social sanding. This may be put down to education or lack of knowledge. Not only education but people from a lower social standing may be unemployed and may need something to do and thus smoking comes about. These patterns are looked and studied. From these studies health concepts comes about and we see how we can promote changes. For example, boxes of cigarettes carry health warning and unpleasant images matched with the services available to help cut down on smoking has led to an increased number of people cutting down on smoking. With more than 28% of people now non-smokers and 63% trying to cut down. By a simple study we can see a new pattern arising one where smoking is more frowned upon. This can be used to further promote the cutting down and quitting of smoking. Many people may not fully grasp the knowledge that everything we do affects our health. From where we work even. In the coming paragraphs I will discuss two factors I feel weigh heavy on the effects of health and what influences and why. Income and social status and Education. These two factors weigh heavy on minds when discussing health. These two factors can also help other people through promotion and raising awareness of issues.
Income and Social Standing: When income is mentioned it often leads into the job, the health insurance and so on. People who have a higher income tend to have better chance of battling the illness, they may have better health insurance so they may go private. This means they don’t have to go on a public waiting list to be seen, already they have much higher chance then the person waiting at home as their illness worsens. Social standing is divided into seven groups 1) Professional Workers 2) Managerial & Technical 3) Non-manual 4) Skilled 5) Semi-Skilled 6 Unskilled 7) All Others Gainfully Occupied and Unknown. The professional workers and managerial and technical are more likely to be of a higher social standing and their income may be higher than people from the semi-skilled and unskilled. Income not only effects what you can afford in terms of health insurance and being able to provide medicine for the patient. Income also directly affects our health in terms of what we can afford food wise. As research has shown food highly effects our health. People that eat food high in fats and sugary food for example are more likely to sugar from heart and digestion problem then people that eat food that are lower in fats and have vitamins and minerals need to maintain a balanced diet. This again links to the social standing of a person. A person from a lower social standing may not be able to afford the healthy food and may turn to pizza and chips due to the Convenience and cost. People from a higher social standing may have the time and money to prepare food that will help with their balanced diet. The healthy Ireland reports show that one in 4 that’s 26% of people report to be eating five or more portions of fruit and veg. Compared to a staggering 65% of people who report to be eating sugary and fatty food every day. Income not only effects what care we are privy to and the food available it also can affect our living circumstances. A person from a higher social standing may be able to afford not only the essentials and needs but also the wants. The essentials fall under shelter, food, water the wants range from heating right up to the location of a person’s house for example near social amenities or health centres. A person able to afford this is again at a greater advantage, being able to access health facilities and help when its needed means the person is more likely to overcome the illness or battle it to the best of their abilities. Income link in with so many influences that if is concerning for the people of the semi-skilled to the unskilled and the unknown. It makes a person think that if income can have the great of an effect on health what is the health like of those of the lower standing social class. From studying the patterns, we can see that the people from the lower standing class are less inclined and not privy to these wants and necessities. Leading to a decline in their health. For example, People from the lower standing class may be fighting just to put food on the table, what about heat and other essentials. From studying these pattern and learning how it works people have put together plans. For example, social housing and people who fall under a certain category are entitled to a medical or GP card. The concept being that people who are of the lower social standing will be entitled to services that will help with access to medical advice and help when needed. Income proves to be a very strong contender when health is discussed it affects not only what you eat and where you live but also the type of lifestyle you live. In a report published by healthy Ireland it stats that people who are able to get out and socialise are more likely too happier in their everyday life, Health just isn’t our physical it’s also our mental. People who have the income and spend the excess money socialising and enjoying the down time where as people who don’t have the option often become isolated and this can be changeling for a person.
Education: Whilst Income plays a part in what type of education a person receives. Education isn’t just the education received in schools it’s also education a person learns to help with ones balancing act, food education and the importance of a positive mental health. When studied it was discovered that people who were less educated and less inclined to be educated were falling ill younger. Education plays a key role in promoting and prompting people to choose wiser options when it comes to health. When looked at education played a role in shaping the parents and children. It also highlighted that by education the children first the knowledge the children took it home and prompted the parents to make wiser decisions like buying the fresh strawberries and the carrots to but in their lunch boxes. Parents and adults then start to pick up on these ways. Education starts with the child but educating the adult is also important. The healthy Ireland survey shows that 37% of adults are overweight while 23% are obese. These people are at a greater risk of heart attacks and strokes then people of a normal body mass index. People who are less educating are less likely to know about the risks of smoking eating the harmful foods. People whom are more educated are more than likely to be able to have the balanced diet exercise and look after themselves more appropriate. While studying these patterns classes were out in places to ensure children and adults were educated, Home economics in now available in most school around Ireland. Adults can attend cooking classes provided in many community centres. The world health organisation has now turned its hand to educating smokers through TV ads and advisements on boxes. The Safe food organisation has started television ads which show the effects of obesity and how to cut down and help children. Cereal groups have been introduced in schools to promote breakfast as being the most important meal of the day. This combined effect has meant that the statistics have reduced when it comes to obesity, and 43% of women and 23% of men have begun their journey to reduce their weight. A phrase caught on in recent times is “When you look good you feel good” the mental health is just as important as physical. More and more are being educated on their mental health and how to help themselves. Eating right and exercising jumping straight to the top of the pile. The concept of education is that people are being made aware of what they out in their mouths and the effects on the body. Not only is education good but people who attending schools and colleges and work have another advantage, Socialising.
Health is an ever ending learning curve for even the most educated people, and so it should be. Everyday there’s new reports a glass of red wine an evening is good for you but don’t eat the low fat milk and so on. This gives us as a society the ability to understand the concept and come up with our own ideas. This is where the future nurse’s doctor’s food scientist and so on will eventually come from. Education and income barley scratch the surface but everything is so interlinked that is hard to narrow down just two. The society we live in today is again an ever changing one, one which help a person to improve their health educate others and promote a better outlook on health for the future generations to come. We’ve learnt from the past generations we’ve improved life expectancy. But for now we can’t live forever but the we can make it a good one. Being able to get ourselves out of bed and go for that walk or eat that slice of chocolate cake, it’s a balancing act one in which income and education plays vital roles. The ever inter linking ways of these two help us to understand and act on the ideas. As a society we duty to change with the world help the others to change with us. A concept is a broad idea on in which we conclude our own ideas. People from people from a higher and lower standing are always improving, today people from the lower standing are recognized and aided through studying and recognizing the patterns. These patterns were obvious until we all got involved to stop these patterns progressing. For now, we can’t eat pizza seven days a week without getting obese but with the right balancing act through education and income we sure can get the best out of both words, while have a great time while it lasts! !