Chapter 1: Importance of Community Flashcards
Where does the word “community” come from?
The Greek word for “fellowship”
What did Emile Durkheim’s research conclude about community?
People who had more connections with their families and community members were less likely to die by suicide.
Whose research concluded that people with greater community and family connections were less likely to die by suicide?
Emile Durkheim
What did Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett’s study “The Spirit Level” conclude?
Inequality is associated with:
-heightened stress
-status anxiety
-low trust
-low community participation
-decreased happiness
True or false: There is no correlation between community integration and health outcomes.
False: people who are more integrated into their communities are less likely to have colds, heart attacks, cancer, and depression.
What are some consequences of rapid industrialization and increasing income levels? (3)
-Weakened community control
-More individual freedom
-More loneliness
Young people spend increasingly large amounts of time alone. What are some consequences of this social isolation?
Increased rates of:
-depression
-suicide
-stomach upsets
-migraines
-sleep disorders
True or false: Community involvement and interpersonal connection make people more likely to value diversity.
True
True or false: A lack of social relationships is a minor health risk factor.
False: a lack of social relationships has a similar level of risk to smoking, high blood pressure, and lack of physical activity
What are Genuine Progress Indicators?
A set of criteria for measuring individual and collective wellbeing.
Canada has 16 Social Determinants of Health; name 8.
-Indigenous ancestry
-Disability
-Early life
-Education
-Employment and working conditions
-Food security
-Gender
-Geography
-Health care services
-Housing
-Immigrant status
-Income and its distribution
-Race
-Social safety net
-Social exclusion
-Unemployment and employment security
What term is used to describe this list of factors?
Indigenous ancestry, disability, early life, education, employment and working conditions, food security, gender, geography, health care services, housing, immigrant status, income and its distribution, race, social safety net, social exclusion, unemployment and employment security.
Canadian Social Determinants of Health
How many Social Determinants of Health does Canada recognize?
16
True or false: Stronger communities typically cost more to run.
False: Strengthening a community can reduce its health and social costs as well as costs associated with “criminal” activity
What are 4 national/macro-level trends impacting Canadian communities at the micro level?
-Rural depopulation
-Immigration
-Population movements within Canada
-Demographic changes (Indigenous population growth, population aging)
Many Canadians are relocating to new communities in different provinces. What factor can reduce the stress of this experience?
Access to social networks (family, friends, neighbours, coworkers, cultural/religious organizations, etc.) to promote a sense of belonging
True or false: Canadians are more connected to their communities than ever before.
False: growing numbers of people do not have or cannot draw on social supports like friends, family, and community organizations
Why are fewer people spending time in their communities?
People are spending more time in the workplace, and some people have better access to social supports there than in their community
True or false: The relationship between individuals and communities is symbiotic
True: when one is strong (or struggling) the other is likely to be as well
What causes a “culture of silence” or “learned helplessness”?
Belief that one has little or no control over their environment
What happens when a person feels they have little or no control over their environment?
-Poor self-image
-Hopelessness
-Loss of power
-Culture of silence
-Learned helplessness
-Self-destructive behaviours
-Physical/emotional abuse of others
What characteristics do most definitions of community include?
-Social interaction
-Common connection
-Location
-Common interests, beliefs, and behaviours
At what levels can cultural communities be found? (5)
-Universal (shared human experience)
-Ecological (climate, wildlife, seasonal changes)
-National (governments, languages, institutions)
-Regional (local groups)
-Racio-ethnic (individuals outside the dominant racial/ethinic group)
What are norms?
The rules that separate what is appropriate from what is inappropriate behaviour in a community; they are sometimes codified as laws
