HLTHAGE 1AA3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Whitehall Study, Social Capital, Complete Control
12 Oct 2017
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Glasgow have a life expectancy 12 years less than those living in the wealthier parts. What causes heart disease? in theory, levels of cholesterol and blood pressure. but what causes that? and what causes the cause? this is the social perspective. What is it about the social environment that structures choices & biology. Living conditions determine our health more than medical intervention & lifestyle choices circumstances. Same result, as economic standing increases so does health. Range of choices is shaped (and limited) by socio cultural, political, and economic. Health status follows a social gradient- higher one"s status in society the better ones. Marmots whitehall study- even extends to civil service not simply about abject poverty heath. Biomedical and behavioural models assume that individuals are in complete control over their choices and that their choices are always rational. Depends on individual"s social environment, drugs- poor health choice, but it might make more sense to use them.
