Essay
Unit 10- P7: Explain patterns and trends in health and ill health within different social groups.
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- PEARSON (PEARSON)
P7: Explain patterns and trends in health and ill health within different social groups.
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This demographic data could be used in the Harley Grove Medical Centre because they could collect theaverage life expectancy in the area which is Tower Hamlets and men are expected to live to 78.4 years.
That's over two years less than the London average of 79 and six months, figures from the Office for
National Statistics (ONS) show and 82.4 years for women. The Harley Grove Medical Centre can use this
data to improve their service provision because they will be able to see how many people are registered
with them and they can see how many people are around that age range which can enable them to
provide more effective care to those more vulnerable. For example, if a patient who is registered with
the medical centre within the age range of the average life expectancy, then they can take more action
to ensure the patient is given priority such as by ensuring they are given frequent health check-ups and
up-to-date with any vaccinations to prevent them from being vulnerable to any health diseases or
illnesses.
P7: Explain patterns and trends in health and ill health within different social groups.
Social class is defined as a group of people within a society who possess the same socioeconomic status.
Race is defined as a grouping of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into categories
generally viewed as distinct by society.The term was first used to refer to speakers of a common
language and then to denote national affiliations. Ethncity is defined as category of people who identify
with each other, usually on the basis of presumed similarities such as common language, ancestry,
history, society, culture, nation or social treatment within their residing area. National origin refers to
the country a person was born in or where their ancestors lived. Age is defined as the period fo time
someone has been alive. Sex is defined as either of the two major forms of individuals that occur in
many species and that are distinguished respectively as female or male especially on the basis of their
reproductive organs and structures. Disability is defined as a physical or mental condition that limits a
person's movements, senses, or activities. Sexual orientation is defined as a person's sexual identity in
relation to the gender to which they are attracted; the fact of being heterosexual, homosexual, or
bisexual. Region is defined as parts of a country that are not the capital city and its surrounding area and
it is one of the different parts of a country with its own customs and characteristics, or because it has a
particular geographical feature. The local setting I will be focusing on is the Harley Grove Medical Centre.
WHO (World Health Organisation) elucidated that health is: "a resource for everyday life, not the
objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasising social and personal resources, as well as
physical capacities." This implies that health is a resource to support an individual's function in wider
society. A negative concept of health is one that focuses on the absence of disease or illness. It implies
that you can only be considered as being healthy if the individual have no disease or illness for instance,
if you do not have any symptoms of disease, pain or distress. However, a positive concept of health is
when an individual might feel well even if they have a disease. It concentrates on the psychological and
social well-being of individuals for instance their choice of food, by taking exercise and other activities
they believe will keep them well. (Zonmw.nl, 2020) The holistic concept of health can be defined as an
approach to life. Instead of focusing on illness or specific parts of the body, this approach to health
considers the whole person and how he or she interacts with his or her environment. Holistic health
highlights the connection of mind, body, and spirit. (Ivy.edu.au, 2020) The term clinical iceberg is used
to describe the large amount of illness that is not reported. Government statistics on the levels of ill
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, health and disability are established on information provided by doctors and other health and care
services. Medicalisation is the process by which human conditions and issues come to be defined and
treated as medical conditions, and hence become the focus of medical study, diagnosis, prevention, or
treatment. (Sciencedirect.com, 2020)The sick role is a theory and concept that concerns the social
aspects of becoming ill and the privileges and obligations that come with it.
SOCIAL CLASS:
Health and ill health is experienced through the factor of social class. There is evidence that members
of the higher social classes are living longer and enjoying better health than members of the higher
social classes are living longer and enjoying better health than members of the lower social groups and,
if people from any of these groups are also poor, the differences are even greater. The most influential
studies that consider the reasons for this difference are the Black Report (1980) and the Acheson Report
(1998). These reports provide detailed and comprehensive explanations of the relationships between
social and environmental factors and health, illness and life expectancy. (Pearsonactivelearn.com, 2020)
The Black Report considered four types of explanations that might account for the differences in the
levels of illness and life expectancy experienced by different social classes. The researchers were
persuaded that the differences in health and wellbeing were an effect of the level of people’s income,
the quality of their housing and the environment in which they lived and worked. The statistical artefact
explanation is defined as a measurement phenomenon which arises either through the (inadequate)
measurement of social class and/or health, or in the measurement of the relationship between the two.
They argued that the lowest social classes had a higher proportion of older people and people working
in traditional and more dangerous industries. So, it would be expected that they would have higher
levels of illness than more prosperous, younger people working in offices, call centres and other service
industries. This explanation suggests that it is not really social class, but the age structure and patterns
of employment of people in the lowest social classes that explain the differences. Cultural or
behavioural explanation focuses on the behaviour and lifestyle of people in the lower social classes.
There was evidence that people in the lower social classes smoked more, drank more heavily, were
more likely to eat junk food and take insufficient exercise. This was regarded as 'cultural' because of the
common understanding that they are, or should be, within the control of individuals. Their poor lifestyle
choices were linked to a range of chronic illnesses including heart disease, some forms of cancer,
bronchitis and diabetes. (Pearsonactivelearn.com, 2020)
HEALTH:
A person’s social class has a significant impact on their physical health, their ability to receive adequate
medical care and nutrition, and their life expectancy. There has always been an association between
health and social class and, despite the welfare state and the improvement in health in all sections of
societies over the years, this discrepancy remains. It applies to all aspects of health, including
expectation of life, infant and maternal mortality and general level of health. The cultural explanation
suggests that the lower social classes prefer less healthy lifestyles, eat more fatty foods, smoke more
and exercise less than the middle and upper classes, therefore the reason why people from middle and
upper class people have better health than those from working class backgrounds. Higher income and
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