Health, Illness, and Society, Updated Second Edition provides a comprehensive yet concise introduction to medical sociology. In his accessible style, Steven Barkan covers health and illness behaviors, the social determinants of health problems, the health professions and health care system in the U.S., and how the U.S. system compares to that of other countries.
The updated second edition adds a new chapter, “The COVID-19 Pandemic,” which highlights several ways in which the pandemic exhibits health and health behavior disparities resulting from social inequalities and the deficiencies of the U.S. health system. The book also critically examines the achievements and limitations of the Affordable Care Act and discusses efforts of the Trump administration to weaken the ACA. Each chapter opens with learning questions to guide the student and “Health and Illness in the News” stories that apply each chapter’s contents to contemporary events. Chapter summaries reinforce key ideas and “Give it Some Thought” boxes emphasize critical thinking.
New to the Updated Second Edition
- New Chapter 14, “The COVID-19 Pandemic,” discusses several ways in which the pandemic reveals health and health behavior disparities
- New data on medical students and faculty, sexual harassment in medical school, and medical school debt provide students with a deeper understanding of the issues facing doctors
- New health care data on peer nations and discussion of health and health care rankings of U.S. women provide a critical examination of the quality and cost of health care in the U.S. versus its peer nations
- Enhanced examination of health insurance status and surprise medical billing, updated survey data on health care costs, and a discussion of high deductibles emphasize the patient financial burden created by a private system of medicine
Author(s): Steven E. Barkan
Edition: 2
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 384
City: Lanham
Cover
Half Title
Copyright Page
Brief Contents
Contents
Preface to the Updated Second Edition
New to the Updated Second Edition
Preface
New to the Second Edition
Instructor and Student Resources
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Chapter 1: Sociology and the Study of Health and Illness
Learning Questions
Sociology and Medical Sociology
Sociology’s Major Themes
The Sociological Perspective
Social Inequality
Social Institutions
The Sociological Imagination
Sociology’s Theoretical Traditions
Functionalism
Conflict Theory
Symbolic Interactionism
The Scope of Medical Sociology
The Influence of the Social Environment
Low Birth Weight and the Social Environment
Upstream Factors
The Practice of Health Care
The Social Construction of Illness
Research Methods in Medical Sociology
Surveys
Qualitative Research
Experiments
Criteria of Causality
Conclusion
Chapter 2: A Social History of Health and Illness
Learning Questions
Health and Illness in the Preindustrial World
The Ancient Civilizations
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
The Middle Ages
The Rise of Scientific Medicine
The Renaissance
The Eighteenth Century
The Nineteenth Century
Ethical Issues in Scientific Medicine
Medical Experimentation
Conflict of Interest in Drug Testing
Payments to Physicians
Other Ethical Issues
Social Epidemiology Yesterday and Today
The Industrial Revolution
The Beginning of Epidemiology: John Snow and Cholera
The Epidemiological Transition
Public Health
Levels of Prevention
Public Health and Controversy
A Word about Rates
Conclusion
Chapter 3: Health Behavior
Learning Questions
What Is Health Behavior?
Understanding Health Behavior
Macro Factors
Micro Factors
The Health Belief Model
The Social Context of Health Behavior: Social Class, Race and Ethnicity, and Gender
Social Class
Race and Ethnicity
Gender
Illustrating the Effects of Social Class, Race and Ethnicity, and Gender
Smoking
Aerobic Activity
Obesity
Excessive Drinking
The Social Context of Health Behavior: Other Factors
Social Relationships
Neighborhood Living Conditions
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Religious Involvement
Corporate Practices
Public Policy
Conclusion
Chapter 4: Illness Behavior and the Illness Experience
Learning Questions
Understanding Illness
Illness as a Social Construction
Medicalization
Consequences of Medicalization
Examples of Medicalization
Illness Behavior
Stages of the Illness Experience
Self-Care
Help-Seeking Behavior
A Theory of Help-Seeking Behavior
The Social Context of Help-Seeking Behavior
Social Class: Education and Income
Race and Ethnicity
Gender
Age
Social Relationships
Proximity and Transportation to Health Care
Health Insurance
The Experience of Illness
The Sick Role
Criticisms of the Sick Role
Coping with Illness
Biographical Disruption
The “Why Me? Why Now?” Response
Uncertainty
The Internet
Contested Illness
A Representative Study of the Illness Experience: Women with STDs
Conclusion
Chapter 5: Social Causes of Health and Health Problems
Learning Questions
Social Conditions as Fundamental Causes of Disease
Social Conditions as Fundamental Causes of Health Inequalities
Social Class
Explaining the Impact of Social Class
Low SES and Early Mortality
Race and Ethnicity
Explaining the Impact of Race and Ethnicity
The Latino Paradox
Gender and Sex
Explaining the Gender Paradox
Reproductive Health
Violence Against Women
Age
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Other Social Causes of Health and Health Problems
Social Stress
Factors Affecting the Stress-Health Dynamic
Buffering the Impact of Stress
Childhood Toxic Stress and Stress Proliferation
Social Relationships and Social Support
Religion
Neighborhood Living Conditions
Environmental Pollution and Hazards
Unsafe Products and Workplaces
Interpersonal Violence and Handgun Violence
Conclusion
Chapter 6: Global Disparities in Health and Disease
Learning Questions
Understanding Global Inequality
Categorizing Global Inequality
High-Income Nations
Middle-Income Nations
Low-Income Nations
Measuring World Poverty
Explaining Global Inequality
Dimensions of Global Health Disparities
Malnutrition and Hunger
Children’s Health
Women’s Health
Environmental Pollution and Hazards
Lead Exposure
Air Pollution
Toxic Waste
Electronic Waste
Natural Disasters
Substandard Health Care
HIV and AIDS
Documenting Global Health Disparities
Life Expectancy
HIV/AIDs
Tuberculosis
Child Mortality
Child Underweight
Maternal Mortality
Natural Disaster Deaths
Births Attended by Skilled Health Personnel
Conclusion
Chapter 7: Medical School and the Training of Physicians
Learning Questions
Development of Medical Schools and Medical Education
Medical Education in Early America
Nineteenth-Century Developments
Developments during the 1870s and Beyond
The Flexner Report
Medical Schools Today
Sociodemographic Profile of U.S. Medical Students
Gender
Sexual Harassment
Race and Ethnicity
Socioeconomic Status
A Brief Look at Medical School Faculty
Gender
Race and Ethnicity
The Lives and Experiences of Medical Students
Stress, Fatigue, and Burnout
Medical Student Burnout
Medical Residents
The Socialization of Medical Students
Detached Concern
Tolerance of Uncertainty
Conclusion
Chapter 8: Physicians and Their Interaction with Patients
Learning Questions
The Profession of Medicine
The Practice of Medicine in Early America
Impact of the American Medical Association
The Downside of Professionalization
The Displacement of Midwives
Justifying Women’s Exclusion from College
Decline of the Medical Profession’s Dominance
Medical Malpractice
Malpractice and the Medical Profession’s Autonomy
Physicians’ Lawsuits against Patients
A Profile of Physicians Today
Types of Physicians
The Physician Shortage
Women Physicians
Career Advancement
The Gender Wage Gap
The Use of the “Doctor” Honorific
Physician-Patient Interaction
Models of Physician-Patient Interaction
The Paternalistic Model
The Egalitarian Model
Gender, Race and Ethnicity, and Physician-Patient Interaction
Gender
Race and Ethnicity
Conclusion
Chapter 9: Other Health Care Providers: Conventional and Alternative
Learning Questions
Mainstream Health Care
Nurses and Nursing
A Brief History of Nursing
A Profile of Nurses Today
Nursing’s Challenges and Opportunities
Other Mainstream Health Care Providers
Dentists and Dental Hygienists and Assistants
Dieticians and Nutritionists
Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, and Opticians
Osteopathic Physicians
Pharmacists
Physical Therapists
Podiatrists
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
Prevalence of CAM
Sociodemographic Characteristics and CAM Use
Effectiveness of CAM
Conclusion
Chapter 10: Hospitals andOther HealthCare Settings
Learning Questions
Hospitals
A Brief History of Hospitals
Hospitals in Early America
The Post-Civil War Period
The Post–World War II Period
Hospitals Since the 1970s
Hospitals in the United States Today
Types of Hospitals
The Structure of Hospitals
Trends in the Hospital Industry
Hospital Employment, Admissions, and Costs
Problems with U.S. Hospitals
Nursing Shortages
Hospital Acquired Conditions and Medical Errors
Rural and Inner-City Hospitals
Emergency Room Care
Issues with Hospital Charges
Other Health Care Settings
Ambulatory Care Facilities
Urgent-Care Centers
Retail Store Clinics
Ambulatory Surgery Centers
Nursing Homes
Nursing Home Costs
Nursing Home Quality of Care
Home Health Care and Hospice Care
Home Health Care
Hospice Care
Conclusion
Chapter 11: Health and Health Care in the World’s Wealthy Democracies
Learning Questions
The Health Care Systems of Wealthy Democracies
Models of Health Care Systems
The Bismarck Model
The Beveridge Model
The National Health Insurance Model
The Out-of-Pocket Model
The U.S. Model
The Health Care Systems of Selected Nations
Canada
France
Germany
Sweden
United Kingdom
Comparing the Wealthy Democracies
Comparing Health in Wealthy Democracies
Life Expectancy
Infant Mortality and Low Birth Weight
Diabetes
Obesity
Comparing Health Care in Wealthy Democracies
Explaining the U.S. Health Disadvantage
Lack of Universal Health Coverage
Lack of Adequate Primary Care
High Cost of Health Care
Poverty
Conclusion
Chapter 12: The U.S. Health Care System
Learning Questions
The U.S. Health Care “System”
U.S. Health Care by the Numbers
The Cost of Health Care
Sources of Health Care Spending
Sponsors of Health Care Spending
Health Care Employment
Health Care Visits
Health Insurance
Extent and Types of Insurance Coverage
Problems in U.S. Health Care Delivery
Fragmentation and Lack of Coordination
Health Insurance Coverage: Uninsurance and Underinsurance
Underinsurance and Inadequate Insurance
Social Inequalities in Health Care Delivery
Access to Health Care
Quality of Health Care
The High Cost of Health Care
Reasons for the High Cost of U.S. Health Care
Waste in Health Care Spending
Conclusion
Chapter 13: Health Care Reform: Obamacare and Beyond
Learning Questions
Origins of U.S. Health Insurance
The Progressive Era
The Great Depression and the New Deal
The 1940s and 1950s
The 1960s: Medicare and Medicaid
The 1970s and 1980s
Managed Care and HMOs
1990s–2008
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
Major Health Benefit Provisions of Obamacare
The Individual Mandate
The Conservative Basis for the Individual Mandate
The Health Insurance Industry and the Individual Mandate
Achievements and Limitations of Obamacare
Achievements of Obamacare
Evidence on Access
Evidence on Cost
Evidence on Quality
Limitations of Obamacare
Inadequately Insured Americans
High Cost of Health Care for Individuals and Families
Out-of-Network Coverage
Reforms within Obamacare
Beyond Obamacare
Medicare for All
The Bismarck Model
A Nonprofit Insurance Alternative
A Final Word
Postscript: A Sociological Prescription for Reducing the U.S. Health Disadvantage
Conclusion
Chapter 14: The COVID-19 Pandemic
LEARNING QUESTIONS
Sociology and the Study of Health and Illness
A Social History of Health and Illness
Health Behavior
Illness Behavior and the Experience of Illness
Social Causes of Health and Health Problems
Race and Ethnicity
Social Class
Political Party Affiliation
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Global Disparities in Health and Disease
Physicians and Other Health Care Providers
Hospitals and Other Health Care Settings
Health and Health Care in the World’s Wealthy Democracies versus the United States
CONCLUSION
Glossary
References
Index
