Biomedical Vs Social Model

The socio-medical model of health concentrates on the social factors that add to health and well-being in our society. It states that research indicates that death rates began to fall and life expectancy began to rise as improvements had been made in cleanness of water, the building of new council houses and

For many years sociological approaches towards health were not adequately utilised as a means of gaining an enriched understanding of concurrent physical and social issues relating to health care. The application of theoretical perspectives in reference to health emerged during the 1950’s and was commonly perceived as being empirical rather then theoretical in nature (Gray, D. E. 2006). Theories are essentially an explanation of how things work and why they happen (Germov, J. 2009). In effect they provide us with answers through the application of concepts and hypothetical approaches that allow us to

In the sociology of medicine Parson (1951) regarded medicine as functional in social terms. By tackling the person’s problems in medical terms the tendency towards deviance that was represented by ill health could be safely directed, until they could return to their normal self. (Lawrence 1994: p 64-65: BMJ 2004: Parson cited in Gabe, Bury & Elston 2006, p 127).

The biomedical model and the biopsychosocial model are both representations of health commonly accepted in modern society. The biomedical model considers the absence of disease is physical wellness. This model is good practice but it has limitations. On the other hand, the biopsychosocial model takes into account the whole person which has led to extensive research in many aspects of wellness. It addresses more than physical well being as many people now are ill but they have no presence of disease. Socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity and generational differences all play important roles in

Sociology: Some guiding principles Social exploration of health – Group & individual experiences – Unique, individual factors of health/illness BUT also shared, social  factors Medical knowledge, practice, & technology  – Often constructed as THE TRUTH, without reference to the historical  and cultural development of medicine ‐ sociology critiques what is  meant by TRUTH. Health is socially shaped – What is means to be healthy or ill shifts between generations and  within generations; across cultures and within cultures 3 2/17/2016 Identifying a sociological approach Key features of a sociological approach:   Social distribution and production of health patterns of health and illness eg gender, class, age Social construction of health defining and meanings of health and illness Social organisation of health social processes to manage health and illness eg power; which health services receive funding priority etc., ‘who does what and to whom’

In the early 1900’s medicine was making some steps closer into some great improvements for health and better understanding of the human body. Doctors with sufficient knowledge of the human body and cures for diseases and viruses were scarce. People were much more concerned with government and politics, than health and medicine, until one of the greatest and most grotesque lethal pandemics that’s struck the earth in human history. This pandemic the “Spanish Flu” spread so rapidly and had an extremely high mortality rate. This was caused by the close contact of humans and poor cleanliness and sanitation, and the host (virus) and the body taking harsh action

Although populations in ancient societies suffered attacks, invasions, starvation, and persecution, there was a more efficient killer that exterminated countless people. The most dreaded killers in the ancient world were disease, infections and epidemics. In many major wars the main peril was not gunfire, nor assault, but the easily communicable diseases that rapidly wiped out whole divisions of closely quartered soldiers. Until the time of Hippocrates, in the struggle between life and death, it was, more often than not, death that prevailed when a malady was involved. In the modern world, although illness is still a concern, advances in thought and technique have led to the highest birth rates in recorded history. No longer is a fever a

Technological advancement has often outperformed scientific knowledge associated with the causes that determine health. Increasing complications in social organization increase the possibilities by which multiple agents can disturb health, including factors such as those that risk physical health like venomous chemicals or radiation, restricted access to sanitary and pure natural resources, and the infinite amalgamation of them all. Decisions taken in areas apparently detached from health frequently have the prospect to have an impact on people’s health in either positive or negative manner due to a large number of links and connections in modern life. Health is an area comprised of highly intricate systems, which can be accidentally

The possibility of contracting a disease or illness is unfortunately a part of being human, and throughout history, portions of humanity have been wiped out due to these outbreaks. In the 14th century, the spread of the Bubonic Plague that passed from Asia and through Europe called the “Black Death” killed over 50 million people – 60% of Europe’s population (Benedictow, 2005, 1). In 1918 and 1919, an influenza pandemic known as the “Spanish Flu” killed between 20 and 40 million people and has been cited as the most devastating epidemic in recorded history (Billings, 2005, 1). In the United States, polio haunted

Everyday, the United States faces new threats to public health and well being, and everyday, medicine advances. Updated medical procedures have created a safer, healthier nation than years past. Some of the most important advancements and ideas were created not that long ago. An era of extreme change of the medical world in the United States was the outbreak of poliomyelitis in the 1930s and 1940s. Three decades of research, treatment, and fighting an epidemic led doctors to take a different approach to medicine. This era produced new inventions, new sanitation concerns, and new vaccines. It also stressed the importance of maintaining personal health, and the importance of receiving all vaccines. These medical advancements include the invention

Health is defined based on three dimensions: physical, mental and social health; a fairly recent modification from the 18th century viewpoints (Ware,1987). Health is perceived differently according to the different models of health that help in guiding and understanding of health and health issues. In relation to the following essay, two models; biomedical model and social model will be discussed and compared in terms of their relevancy in the modern times. The second half of the essay will focus on the effectiveness of the social model in explaining the increasing prevalence of health conditions related to the obesity epidemic.

classes are perhaps not as clear as they used to be. But it is just as

The interest for promoting health and preventing diseases has greatly increased since the past couple of decades. This desire has led many to want to improve not only personal health, but also the population health. In the past, the causes of death mainly depended on what was happening at that time. For example, during the fourteenth century, many lost their lives to the bubonic plague. In 1900, the leading cause of death was tuberculosis and pneumonia/influenza. “Beginning in the 1920’s,m there was growing recognition by major figures in health affairs that the increases in chronic disease required fundamental changes in research, practice, and policies” (McLeroy&Crump p.10. 1994).

Since colonisation, rheumatic fever has left a legacy of health inequalities affecting Māori (Crampton & Robson, 2014). Jatrana, Crampton, Richardson, & Norris, (2012) explains, that health inequalities remain preventable and unreasonable differences in health status. They also stated that it is critical to diminish the expense boundaries to medication access to enhance public health and decrease ethnic health inequalities. (Jatrana et al., 2012).

The conceptualisation of medicine as an institution of societal control was first theorised by Parsons (1951), and from this stemmed the notion of the deviant termed illness in which the “sick role” was a legitimised condition. The societal reaction and perspective was deemed a pillar of the emerging social construction of disease and conception of the formalised medical model of disease. Concerns surrounding medicalisation fundamentally stem from the fusion of social and medical concerns wherein the lines between the two are gradually blurred and the the social consequences of the proliferation of disease diagnosis that results from such ambiguities of the social medical model.