Session 3

Question 1

What mortality ratio is most likely to show the inequalities in healthcare?

Answer 1

Maternity mortality rates

Question 2

Why has life expectancy increased during the 20th century?

Answer 2

Development of sanitation

Question 3

What is health associated with?

Answer 3

Social status (Wealth/Poverty, Area of residence/Environment)
Ethnicity
Gender
Age
Disability

Question 4

Which ethnic group has a lower prevalence of cancers?

Answer 4

Black minority ethnic groups

Question 5

What may confound the data regarding Ethnicity & health?

Answer 5

Many minority ethnic groups face Socio economic status inequalities

Question 6

Which sex has a higher morality rate?

Answer 6

Males

Question 7

Which sex has more suicides and violent deaths?

Answer 7

Males

Question 8

Which sex has a higher rate of disability?

Answer 8

Females (But have a higher life expectancy)

Question 9

Which sex has a higher rate of mental illness?

Answer 9

Females

Question 10

Define sex in a sociology context?

Answer 10

Biological differences that effect health

Question 11

Define gender in a sociology context?

Answer 11

Social factors that effect health

Question 12

What are the 4 theories for why inequalities occur according to the Black report?

Answer 12

Artefact
Social - Selection
Behavioural - Cultural
Materialist

Question 13

What is the Artefact explanation?

Answer 13

Health inequalities are evident due to the way statistics are collected (eg measurement of class)
BUT discredited as data problems are more likely to lead to underestimation of inequalities

Question 14

What is the Social selection explanation?

Answer 14

Direction of causation is from health to social position.
Sick individuals move down the social hierarchy and healthy individuals move up so chronically ill are more likely to be disadvantaged

Question 15

What is the behavioural cultural explanation?

Answer 15

Ill health is due to people’s choices/decisions, knowledge and goals.
Useful explanation for health education

Question 16

What are the limitations for the behavioural cultural explanation?.

Answer 16

Behaviours are outcomes of social processes, not simply individual choice
‘Choices’ may be difficult to exercise in adverse conditions
‘Choices’ may be rational for those whose lives are constrained by their lack of resouces

Question 17

What is the Materialistic explanation?

Answer 17

Inequalities in health arise from differential access to material resources eg low income
Lack of choice in exposure to hazards and adverse conditions
Accumulation of factors across life course
Most plausible
Further research is needed as to precise routes

Question 18

What is Wilkinson’s income distribution theory?

Answer 18

It is relative (Not average) income that affects health
Countries with greater income inequalities have greater health equalities
Not richest, but most egalitarian societies that have the best health
Theory that social cohesion is important in health

Question 19

What is the relevance of healthcare inequalities for practitioners?

Answer 19

We can be aware of the inequalities facing my patients so working towards health equities

Question 20

Define inequality?

Answer 20

When things are different

Question 21

Define inequity?

Answer 21

Inequalities that are unfair and avoidable (or not accounted for by clinical need)

Question 22

What is the problem with measuring access to healthcare services?

Answer 22

Utilisation studies measure receipt of services and not how many people want to, but cannot for various reasons

Question 23

What do more deprived groups of people use more?

Answer 23

GP services

Emergency services

Question 24

What do more deprived groups of people use less?

Answer 24

Preventative services

Specialist services

Question 25

Why do more deprived patients use GP/Emergency services more?

Answer 25

Tend to manage health as a series of crises
Normalisation of ill health
Tend to use more ‘porous’ services