Environmental Influences on Health and Healthcare and the Social Construction of Health and Disease - Essay Sample

Introduction

Following the in-depth analysis of the sociological prospects, it is evidenced that the environment has posed a tremendous influence on health care in society (Arber, 2018). It is imperative to note that, in a bid to maintain the entire community free from illness and stay healthy, it is prudent to take hid of the massive influence which emanates from the environment and the appropriate remedies which can be employed to help curb such instances. Significantly, this research paper intends to focus on the general analysis of the various sociologists with regards to how the environmental factors influence healthcare in society. Notably, the major contributing factors which are environmentally related with dire consequence in healthcare includes climate change, pollution, substance and drug abuse as well as depletion of natural resources. According to a sociologist, the periodic challenges witnessed in health, as well as the massive spread of disease, is highly associated with the environmental factors which keep on increasing with time. It is worth acknowledging the fact that, the emergences of certain conditions is highly associated with the environmental elements which must be taken care of ion a bid to help save the increasing cases such challenges. As depicted by several sociologists, it is evidenced that, legal and well-structured policies which seek address the environmental problems towards health must be put in place to help address these pertinent issues(Arber, 2018).

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According to Michael Marmot, the socials standing of various individuals in society have n a direct effect on the general health and life expectancy(Wood, 2018). The marmot's syndrome status is the health complication which comes as a result of the social standings on how the individual control over their own lives and general social connection as opposed to financial resources and access to medical services. Based on his analog, the social class occupied by different individuals in the society tends to provide the defining point which in the long run determines the health expectancy in the entire society. Notably, the social standings and the class one occupies in the society is commonly used as a determining g factor into the general life expectancy along with the health status in the entire society. Apparently, the individuals found lower in the hierarchy are less likely to have full control of their lives due to a lack of opportunities as well as less social participation (Wood, 2018). This pressure exerted to the lower class member the society from the immediate environment they occupy results into the status syndrome which tends to complicate health issues in the society. On the same account, by considering Marmots reasoning, it is clearly evidenced that the individuals who occupy the lower class I the society are completely disadvantaged and are often prone to attack by diseases due to lack of effective preventive measures and proper medication.

By considering the statistical data from the Unite Kingdom, it is a clear revelation that social status and the socio-political positions of individuals in the society is one of the most significant contributing factors to the social inequality witnessed. On the other hand, the lack of equality in all dynamics of society tends to deter individuals from gain access to quality access to health care. About 35% of people living in the United Kingdom found in the lower class hardly get access to the quality health services due to less participation in society. It is imperative to note that, as depicted by Michael Marmot the social standing which is used as a parameter to measure individuals in the community has resulted into creation of massive inequality in the general allocation of resources. Lack of equality in the resource allocation vastly affects the individuals found in the lower class in the society therefore they are mostly subjected to health complications due to lack of access significantly, the concept of inequality is a global concern as many countries do have a good percentage of the population not capable of accessing the quality healthcare services.

The concept of healthcare inequality entails the unfair distribution of resources among the group, population, and individuals found in a given social setup. Notably, the inequitable distribution of social, environmental and economic resources tends to determine how frequent people get ill as well as their ability to prevent periodic sicknesses. It is imperative to note that, the inequality in healthcare is one integral element which tends to subject the entire population to attack diseases due to lack of preventive measures (Wood, 2018). To begin with, the inequality in funding among some targeted population especially those in the lower class to experience severe challenges due to lack of proper support from the relevant authorities. On the other hand, the inequality in funding has resulted in significant problems such as shortage of staff which tends to derail the entire important activities in health care. Also, the disparity of the financing also results in delays in treatments as the unequal distribution of resources as well as the distribution of human resources derails the deliverance of services in the entire health facility.

Conversely, the inequality in healthcare can significantly affect the patient's treatment due to lack of required medical equipment's as a result of unequal distribution of resources. On the same account, lack of trained personnel which creates inappropriate procedures and treatment tends to affects service delivery in healthcare. The concept of inequality of funding in healthcare has significantly compromised safety in the entire healthcare; this is because the unequal distribution of funds tends to compromise greatly on a greater margin. Notably, the compromise witnessed may be due to issues of staffing, delays in treatment as well as rationing in the entire healthcare facility.

Another set of geographical inequality is north-south dividing which common in the United States. Apparently, the north tends to suffer economic sanction as compared to the south which enjoys greatly when it comes to resource allocation. Significantly, the south lacks modern technology, political stability, its economy completely divided and its foreign exchange entirely depends on the primary product exports to the north. In the societies where there is a sharp division, the fluctuations in prices characterized by increased inequality tend to influence negatively effective delivery of healthcare services. Also, the concept of the inverse care law is a principle which states that the availability of excellent medical services tends to vary inversely to the population. This analogy can be adequately explained based on the real accounts that, when the community is high the medical resources tend to be scarce thereby derailing the delivery of healthcare services among the densely populated area.

The inequality in health is often propagated based on the existing cultural behaviors and taboos which in the long run affect how diseases are diagnosed, managed and often treated (Akintan, 2018). Following the in-depth analysis, it is worth acknowledging the fact that, some of the cultural attributes tend to propagate the constant increasing cases of inequalities witnessed in health. Notably, the influence of culture is vastly registered as it dramatically affects the perception and how health care services are dispensed. Notably, some of the cultural beliefs and knowledge about the causes of certain diseases is based on the traditional approaches which in the long run exposes the individuals the more to such incidences. On the other hand, the cultural behaviors also provide the inappropriate mechanism in an attempt to explain how pain experiences and expressed along with the treatments to the diseases not know. Based on this analogy, it clearly evidenced that, the cultural behaviors which is one of the critical external behavior poised a tremendous effect on service delivery in healthcare (Akintan, 2018).

On the other hand, the inequality in health also exists due to a lack of equality in the distribution of the materials and equipment's needed in the daily running of the healthcare facilities. Notably, the effective dispensation of health to the next population depends on the magnitude of the infrastructure available. Therefore it is clearly evidenced that, unequal distribution of relevant material leaves other parts of the country marginalized with poor healthcare services.

Cultural competence has significantly shaped how health and illnesses are perceived and thereby determining how individuals get healthcare services in society. By taking a keen interest in the cultural values, customs and essential traditions tend to allow individuals to communicate freely on the issues about health. Based on the cultural beliefs and knowledge the Taiwan community traditionally believed that the modern medication never treated measles, but the general analogy has since then changed with time. On the same account, the perception of health and general illnesses keeps on varying depending on the age factor. This analogy is factual because diseases keep on changing the signs and symptoms with time which in the long run changes the ultimate perception of individuals ate different age groups. Notably, there is a particular disease which is associated with specific groups of people which is not fully understood by the other age groups hence the variation witnessed.

The general perception of both men and women do vary depending on their innate understanding of health and illnesses. It is imperative to note that, the public knowledge of women towards healthcare services is that, they demand good timely health services as compared to their male counterparts. Tentatively, the variation is because the social standing plays an integral part where the perception is based.

Similarly, the perception of the entire public has since then changed from neglecting the affected personalities towards accepting and involving them in the societal health management programs. Conversely, the current health care services are designed to accommodate the patients with health complication as a proper mechanism to manage this condition.

According to the functionalist approach, the society is composed of the interconnected parts which work together harmoniously to help maintain a state of balance for all groups of people in the community (Calvo, 2018). It is imperative to note that, all the medical professionals are mandated to protect, maintain and restore the health status of individuals in society. Besides, these agencies must safeguard vital information and be able to uphold the utmost respect required in society. Similarly, based on the functionalism approach, it is clearly demonstrated that the medical agencies play an integral role in diagnosing, preventing as well as the provision of the relevant information with regards to health and disease outbreaks in the society. Significantly, these are environmental factors which poised a significant contribution in the manner in which service delivery in healthcare is concerned.

The ultimate role of the medical practitioners is to offer preventive and cautionary measures to help curb diseases outbreak in the immediate environments where people live. It is worth acknowledging the fact...