The Sociology of Health

When we think about health we tend to think about it in purely physical or biological terms. However, health is also a major social issue due to the fact that many of the causes of illness are directly affected by social factors. Health is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as being ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing'. This definition confirmed health as a social issue and this is borne out by evidence which demonstrates that standards of health have varied over time and also from one society, culture and country to another. For example, what is considered as good health in a low-income country such as Sri Lanka is very different to what is considered good health in the high-income UK.

Current inequalities in health

It’s a fact of modern times that the wealthy in all societies, have much better physical, mental and social health than the poor. This starts at birth with the poorest members of society having the highest infant mortality rates and continues throughout life as the wealthy enjoy better access to healthcare thus having a better chance of recovering from serious illnesses and major trauma. The present world average life expectancy is 67.8 years. In most developed societies it is 78 years plus, however in the lowest ­income countries health is undermined by lack of food and poor sanitation and the average life expectancy is below 50 years. Approximately half the children born in these countries do not make it into adulthood.

Changes in health standards

Standards of health in the Western nations have vastly improved since the nineteenth century. This is mainly due to better standards of living since industrialisation and also to advances in medicine which have helped control infectious diseases which were the major killers at the beginning of the 20th century. Today ill health in western societies can be characterised mainly by chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease and various cancers. There have also been some major changes in individual health-affecting behaviours which include cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and significant changes in the nation's diet.

Improving health

The WHO was established in 1948 within the United Nations with its role being to provide leadership in global health matters, create health research agenda, establish health standards, articulate evidence-based policy options, provide technical assistance to countries and to monitor and evaluate trends in health. In 1984 the WHO introduced the concept of health promotion and defined it as the process of enabling people to have more control of the factors which determine their health and thereby improve it. In addition to programmes promoting changes to people's lifestyles the WHO have advocated the use of legislation, education, empowerment at local level as well as fiscal measures and organisational change as methods of health promotion. Its primary objective is to reduce inequities in health. Since that time health promotion has become a main feature of health policy at all levels.

At Sociology Professor we examine the sociology of health, its effect on society and the methods used for promotion. We highlight how people's health can be improved by changes in lifestyle and we also discuss a wide array of health issues from alternative medicine and lay beliefs to health systems and euthanasia, always viewed from a sociological perspective.

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