Understanding Sociological Perspectives on Health Determinants

The provided essay delves into the world of sociology, focusing on the scientific study of social life and culture. It discusses various theories, including functionalism and social constructionism, to understand the influence of health conditions within individuals. The essay also explores social determinants like eating disorders, obesity, and alcohol influence on individuals, and how the biomedical model can be combined with these perspectives to better comprehend human health.

ESSAY

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Overview of Functionalism and Social Constructionism............................................................3
Overview of biomedical model...................................................................................................4
Critical Analysis of social determinant.......................................................................................4
TWO Sociological perspectives in relation to health determinant..............................................5
Consequences of biomedical model for social determinant........................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Sociology can be defined as a scientific study of social relationships, study of culture and
society on social life of a person. In other words it can be defined as the knowledge of social
order, health of individuals as well as acceptance in social evolution is sociology. It includes
religions, social class and mobility, gender, sexuality, gender etc. which has impact on the
behaviour and well being of individuals. There are several social determinants which has direct
impact on the sociological aspects of people (Weiss and Lonnquist, 2017 ). this essay is about
consequences of the biomedical model for understanding health and illness in Australia. In this
essay, the consequences of biomedical model for health and illness in Australia will be discussed
in detail by Using Functionalism and Social Constrctionism. This essay will also lay emphasis on
understanding the sociological theories and perspectives as well. In this essay first of all
sociology and its role and perspectives have been discussed, inclusion of the biomedical model
and the social determinants of health such as eating disorder, alcohol effect on individuals etc.
will be discussed with two sociological perspectives.
MAIN BODY
Overview of Functionalism and Social Constructionism
There are several social theories which influence the health conditions in individuals and
they way they are treated. It is also useful in treating the patients properly under an organised
framework by the professionals (Frankenberg and Leeson, 2018 ). Here, various theories and
perspective of sociology has been explained. Perspectives are also called as approaches and
Functionalism is itself an approach of sociological analysis.
Functionalism: is also called as philosophy of mind and can be defined as the theory of the
mind. It says that state of the mental health is directly related to their functional role. In social
science it can be defined as the theory that is based upon all the aspects of the society like roles,
institutions, norms etc. It is completely necessary for the long term survival of the society. As it
will affect the overall healthcare system of the society as the mental health of individuals is
affected and related to the individuals of the society. Overall health care system is affected by
this because most of the social determinant of the society directly relate to their functional role. It
also works as a theoretical level among behavioural output and physical implementation. It
works as a system of interconnection between different functions of the society that work
together in order to balance the healthcare equilibrium (Miller, 2017 ). It is important for health

care practitioners to focus on this as it will help them to understand the mental health state of an
individual.
social Constructionism: it can be defined as knowledge theory in sociology as well as in
communication theory. It is used in examining development of worlds understandings for all the
shared assumptions and understandings about the reality. This theory mainly centres around the
meaning of the notations that are developed with coordination with others rather within each
individual separately. It mainly centres around the society and humans in reality which affects
the health care system directly or indirectly. These are completely based upon the society, events
within the surroundings. For example: money or currency concept is a social construct because
people within the society agrees upon its importance of it in the society or importance of healthy
behaviour is also a social construct as people within the health care system understand the
importance of the same(Weenink and Bridgman, 2017 ). This factor is also important for health
care professionals as it helps them to understand the social construct that might help them
understand its effect on social determinants.
Overview of biomedical model
Biomedical model purely focuses on the biological factors which excludes
environmental, psychological and social influence. It is considered to be one of the main leading
modern way for all the health care professionals in order to diagnose and treat health conditions
or diseases such as healthy behaviour of individuals and professionals perspectives related to
giving education and training. This model helps in understanding illness, disorder related to the
body and the way social determinants of the society are affected such as healthy behaviour of
individuals are affected. In other words it can be defined as biological or physical aspects of an
illness or a disease. It is also named as quick fix and band aid approach. In this treatment and
diagnosis of an illness or a disease is done by health care professionals (Nisbett and Storms,
2017). This model is completely based upon the many illness and diseases that are supported by
health professionals which supports biological findings. This model has helped in improving
medical care in many different ways or in other words helped health care professionals in
improving health care delivery as well as reduced the incapacity of the work. The implications of
healthcare professionals is also affected by this most of the healthcare professions today are
focusing on treatment of an individual they are not focussing on the healthy behaviour of an

individual eating disorder, alcohol effect on body etc. all such kinds of social determinants are
ignored by the health care professionas. So, it is affecting the implications of health care
professionals.
Limitation of biomedical model is that it completely rely on health professionals as well
as on technology too much which forces the health care professionals to focus on the social
determinant in one direction only due to which all the factors that affect the social determinants
are not addressed correctly. Medically according to this model medical professionals only
focuses on the biological factors like genres which do not explains the social determinants such
as alcohol influence, eating disorder etc. If this model is combined with the Functionalism and
social Constructionism, then it will help in understanding the overall urge of human mind to
adopt unhealthy pattern of lifestyle such as obesity, eating disorder, alcohol effect on body.
Critical Analysis of social determinant
When Biomedical model is combined with Functionalism and social Constructionism it
helps the health care professionals in understanding the disease or social determinant as well as
helps in treating the disease in a better way. This can be explained by following examples of few
social determinants like eating disorder or obesity, influence of alcohol etc. In medical sector
each one has their own perspective especially health professionals. Their perspective is always
one dimensional which sometimes works as a factor due to which they fail to understand the
social determinant and disease of an individual (Garg and et.al., 2015). If critical analysis of such
social determinants is done then this delivery of health care of these social determinants can be
improved.
Influence of alcohol on an individual: According to biomedical model it is not always
true that if parents or any person in a family is alcoholic then child will also be alcoholic.
However if this model is combined with Functionalism and social Constructionism then it can be
said that the effect of surroundings of an individual affects their influence towards alcohol. If
anyone in the surrounding of an individual is alcoholic then it affects their minds and they get
attracted towards alcohol knowing that it is not good for health.

TWO Sociological perspectives in relation to health determinant
The first perspective focus on the classic role that affects the human health which holds
multiple social roles. As per alcohol use, it has the greatest number of social role that a person
holds. It is assumed that a person's life becomes more structured by social activities with
individuals and other deem important. It is likely that the more time spend on drinking alcohol,
behaviour change due to the drinking. It is the expectation that social perspective offering
immediate gratification such as drinking alcohol products. It should not interfere with the
adequate performance towards the social roles. Therefore, social perceptive control on the
drinking which may stronger among the individuals those who holds the social perspectives.
In second step, social perspective was not associated with the lower risk of eating disorder. This
was harmful for people and affect the human health. Particularly, it was attention the paid to the
countries supporting the different type of burden but does not aware about the obesity due to
eating habits of an individuals. Many people has bad habit to eat more oily food that direct effect
the human body. Eating disorder is mainly harmful due to hormonal imbalance and other such
biological attributes. It defined that the harmful eating food habit risky single occasion that
measured as the average consumption of germs.
Consequences of biomedical model for social determinant
The biomedical model mainly focusses on the health conditions of a human being that
affect the overall functionality of body. The heavy drinking is the most dangerous substances for
drinkers that shows a single distinctive patterns of greater alcohol. It also uses leading the greater
metal, bodily and social deterioration. It has developed a condition once it appears the persists
which is irresistible and drinking the uncontrollable once it has begun. Medical expertise people
is understands and find the solution to relieve the conditions that happen during symptoms
generations.
Eating disorder is one of the raising concerns in the heath and social care sector and has
impacted the biomedical model principles in a systematic manner. it has also been demonstrated

that this model has helped in building a constructive ideology regarding the utility and validity of
the impact of any eating disorder in humans especially young girls and women. Moro ever, it is
also evident that only biological factors has not impacted this disease. There are social and
physiological attributes that has enhanced this social health determinant.
Social determinants of health refer to the specific group of social and economic factors
within the broader determinants of health. Eating disorder, obesity, alcohol influence on
individuals social determinants influences the overall health of an individuals It is applicable in
term of health such as access health care, lack of educations, poverty which contributes to
maintain the unequality in the sociological perspectives. Functionalisms is a type of philosophy
regarding the mind that can be defined all aspects of the society like roles, institutions, norms
etc.

CONCLUSION
From the above essay it has been summarised that sociology is a scientific study that
helps in social life and culture of an individual. There are several theories of sociology that helps
in understanding the influence of health conditions within individuals so that they are treated in a
correct way. In the above essay understanding the sociological theories and perspectives was
done where functionalism and social constructionism theories was taken. with respect to the
social determinants like eating disorder, obesity, alcohol influence on individuals. There is a
model like biomedical model that focuses on all kinds of biological factors that helps the health
care professionals to diagnose and treat the health conditions of an individual. When this model
is combined with Functionalism and social Constructionism, it helps in understanding the factors
that affect a human body. Other than this few other sociological perspectives with respect to the
health determinants had been discussed and consequences of biomedical model for social
determinants had been discussed.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Frankenberg, R. and Leeson, J., 2018. The Sociology of Health Dilemmas in the Post-colonial
World: Intermediate Technology and Medical Care in Zambia, Zaire, and China 1.
In Sociology and development (pp. 255-278). Routledge.
Garg, A., and et.al., 2015. Addressing social determinants of health at well child care visits: a
cluster RCT. Pediatrics. 135(2). pp.e296-e304.
Miller, G., 2017. Reconsidering Social Constructionism: Social Problems and Social Issues.
Routledge.
Nisbett, R.E. and Storms, M.D., 2017. 14 Cognitive and Social Determinants of Food
Intake. Thought and feeling: Cognitive alteration of feeling states.
Weenink, E. and Bridgman, T., 2017. Taking subjectivity and reflexivity seriously: Implications
of social constructionism for researching volunteer motivation. VOLUNTAS:
International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. 28(1). pp.90-109.
Weiss, G.L. and Lonnquist, L.E., 2017. The sociology of health, healing, and illness. Routledge.