Download Chapter 2 Illness and the Health Care Crisis

Chapter 2
Illness and the Health Care Crisis
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The Global Context: Patterns of Health and
Disease
HIV/AIDS: A Global Health Concern
Mental Illness: The Invisible Epidemic
Chapter 2
Illness and the Health Care Crisis
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Sociological Theories of Illness and Health
Care
Social Factors Associated With Health and
Illness
Problems in U.S. Health Care
Strategies for Action: Improving Health and
Health Care
Life Expectancy: 2000
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Japan - 81 years
France - 79 years
U.S. - 77 years
Congo - 49 years
Angola - 35 years
Leading Causes of Death
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Worldwide - infectious and parasitic diseases.
U.S. - heart disease, cancer, stroke
U.S. youths - nearly 3/4 of deaths result from
motor-vehicle crashes, unintentional injuries,
homicide, and suicide.
HIV/AIDS: A Global Concern
Transmission:
 Sexual intercourse
 Sharing unclean intravenous needles
 From infected mother to fetus
 Blood transfusions or blood products
 Breast-milk
HIV/AIDS in the U.S.
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Leading cause of death among African
American men ages 25 to 44.
At least half of new infections are among
people under age 25.
Nearly half of HIV cases are among females.
Mental Illness
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40% of Americans will experience a mental
disorder in their lifetime.
Nearly 25% of U.S. adults suffer from mental
disorders or substance abuse disorders.
In 1998, major depression was the leading
cause of disability in developed nations.
Structural-Functionalist
Perspective
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Health care functions to maintain well-being of
individuals and society.
High cost of medical care is necessary to
entice people into medical profession.
HIV/AIDS helped unite and mobilize gay rights
activists.
Conflict Perspective
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Focuses on how wealth, status, and power
influence illness and health care.
Lack of status and power affects the health of
women in many societies.
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
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Focuses on how meanings, definitions, and
labels influence health care.
Illness and disease are conditions that society
defines as illness or disease.
There are stigmatizing effects of being labeled
as ill.
Poverty and Health
Poverty is the world’s leading health problem.
Associated with:
 unsanitary living conditions.
 hazardous working conditions.
 lack of access to medical care.
 onadequate nutrition.
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Gender and Health
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One in three women has been beaten, coerced
into sex, or abused.
In some societies, boys receive more medical
treatment than girls.
Men are less likely than women to seek
medical care.
Problems In U.S. Health Care
In 2000, World Health Organization ranked the
U.S. health care system 37th out of 191.
Problems include:
 High cost of medical care and insurance.
 Unequal access to health care.
 Inadequate mental health care.
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Health Insurance Coverage
1999:
 15.5% of U.S. population had no medical
insurance for the entire year.
 32.4% of U.S. poor had no insurance during
the entire year.