HEALTH AND ILLNESS

Health and Illness

Health and Illness

The sociological perspective to health and illness presented by Paul Taylor in his book “Sociology in Focus”, enables us to understand basic health problems to be viewed as social issues. This essay will describe the basic understanding from the book about the term "sociological imagination" (Taylor, 1999, 21) and outline the interrelated historical, cultural, structural and critical factors of which it is comprised.

The book, "Sociology in Focus" is discussed as excellent examples of what a sociological perspective has to offer with respect to Indigenous health issues.

In the book the concept of "sociological imagination" asserts that people do not exist in isolation but within a larger social network. The social mind examines the relationships and patterns of behaviour that shape our society (Taylor, 1999, 23) and the distribution of health within it. This facilitates a connection to be made between "private troubles" and "public issues" (Mills 1959 cited in Germov, 21) and further enables health problems to be viewed as social issues.

Evan Willis (1999 as cited in Germov, 22) suggests that understanding the interrelated cultural, historical, structural and critical factors is the key to the sociological pursuit. A historical and cultural awareness involves examining how the past and culture have impacted upon a current health situation. Considering the structural factors entails understanding how the organisation and institutions of society and health influence peoples lives. Finally, the social mind will apply a critical awareness to determine what can be done to improve the current situation (Germov, 2002).

The Holmes et al. (2002) quantitative study aims to examine the high prevalence of health problems for Indigenous youth and the responsible social determinants. The study is a pertinent example of the application of the sociological imagination. Research revealed that the impact of colonisation, removal of children and "exploitation" of the Indigenous population for medical research, are significant historical factors accounting for the reticence of Indigenous youth to seek healthcare or even participate in this study (Holmes et al, 2002).

From a cultural view point, difficulty with language and differing cultural attitudes also contributed to this phenomena (Holmes et al., 2002). For example, participants expressed concern that health workers would not be able to understand their traditional priorities. The majority also feared they would be recognised by family members whilst seeking health care. This dissatisfaction with the way that health care is structured lead many participants to suggest a separate clinic for young people and was one of the critical suggestions put forward by Holmes et al. (2002).

McMichael et al. (2000) is also an excellent example of the sociological imagination. The article is a qualitative study of social, structural and personal factors among Indigenous women associated with breast cancer treatment and care. Research revealed that Indigenous women are reticent to attend screening clinics because historically, breasts are imbued with "social and cultural significance as symbols of womanhood, sexuality and nurturing "(McMichael et al., 2000).

From a structural perspective, geographic distance to treatment clinics accounted for the high prevalence of untreated ...