HSC210 - Social Determinants of Health: A Comprehensive Analysis

This essay provides a sociological analysis of social determinants of health, contrasting it with the biomedical model. It explores various sociological perspectives and their role in understanding health and illness. The paper discusses how social conditions, socioeconomic factors, and social inequalities impact health outcomes. It also examines the limitations of the biomedical model in addressing these social determinants, highlighting the importance of a social model of health. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need for societal support and awareness to improve overall health and well-being, advocating for a shift towards addressing social factors to reduce health disparities. Desklib offers a wealth of resources including similar essays and solved assignments for students.

Running Head: SOCIAL HEALTH DETERMINANTS 1
Social Health Determinants
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SOCIAL HEALTH DETERMINANTS ` 2
Social Determinants of Health
Introduction
Sociology can be defined as a scientific study of the society, social relations, social
interaction, and culture. Social analysis is described as the systematic examining of social
problems, issues or trends which helps in bringing changes in the society(Braveman& Gottlieb,
2014). Social pitfalls are situations that are viewed by some community members as being
undesirable. Social analysis is a topic-driven can be used to address problems using qualitative
research or quantitative approach. The social study usually involves issues of equality and social
justice (Sherman et al., 2015). With the knowledge of social analysis, one can address issues in
health which has become one of the main talks in societies recently. The status of health in
society has not been thoroughly discussed in a simple way where every society member is
covering from illiterate to literate, female or male and young or old people. It is a right of every
person to understand social health and illness in depth to avoid later conflict and also everyone
to know his or her societal responsibility as far as society health and disease is concerned
(Reisner et al., 2015). In this paper, I will try to address the issue of health and illness in a way
that every society member will understand. I will send on the social life mainly focusing on the
health reactionaries since social factors have a significant influence on how health conditions
occur and how they are treated in different locations. I will also explain the different
approaches to sociological analysis. I will also include biomedical model as the primary
perspective which views health regarding biological processes within the individuals. The paper
will even mention the social contributors to health, and how the attitude is essential in clinical
practice and research which would have limitations regarding addressing the social determining
factors of health.
The Role of Sociology
As defined earlier, sociology is the study of the social life therefore here I shall focus on
the health since it is mostly affected by the way people live. I will first take you through several
approaches in sociological analysis. The first one is a quantitative analysis that studies the

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society using numbers and statistics, for instance, considering peoples income. The second one
is network analysis that examines the patterns of social links within the people or groups, and
the meaning of that models benefit the group as a whole. Macro-sociological analysis entails
looking at the big picture including the historical change over the years like rice and fall of
political systems. The qualitative studies investigate people and situations in depth and later
describe those using words. This may include interrogating people regarding their experiences
in their areas of work, and the labor market. Micro-sociological analysis entails looking at direct
interactions between the individuals for instance, how people negotiate social fields or personal
discussions (Garg et al., 2015).
Sociologists sometimes analyze the social life from different perspectives. Currently,
they employ three fundamental theoretical aspects which include: symbolic interactionist,
functionalist, and conflict viewpoint. These standpoints aim to provide the sociologists with
theoretical paradigms for outlining how the society has influenced people about health.
How Social Life Affects Human Health
Daily social life of human beings has both positive and negative impacts on the health.
Poor social conditions affect the well-being of individuals throughout their life. The societal
gradient in the health runs across the community. Stressful conditions make people feel
troubled unable ling them to cope which leads to damaging health and leads to early deaths.
Communal and psychological situations lead to persistent stress. Working under insecurity,
anxiety and social discrimination, discrimination in work and domestic chores may have an
influential effect on health. Those psychological hazards add to life which increasing poor
mental chances of health. There is a need for a supportive friendship is in respective of the area
they come from.
Socioeconomic perspective is also considered by the researchers to deliberate during
health studies. Reason being that different people in socio-economic life may have remote
access to medical care physical activities and heavy food. This is the primary factor that affects
health, and it is important to be counted when studying health conditions of the society.

SOCIAL HEALTH DETERMINANTS ` 4
The wellbeing of various individuals in the society is affected by the kind of foods they
take. Junk food is often perceived as luxurious in individual communities. Nevertheless, this
kind of diet is very hazardous because it can cause obesity.
The determinants of individual well-being about the society can also mirror the societal
circumstances in which people are born to work, live, learn, and play. This is depended on the
resources available as it regards meeting daily wants like education and opportunities which
leads to living a healthy life. Social norms and attitudes like discrimination may also lead to poor
health conditions since the discriminated people may lack some essential love which is a critical
factor in health. Social support and social interactions are widely recognized as the motives for
better living. Here we cannot leave behind the exposure to social media and emerging
technologies which helps access the better living conditions which will bring positive health to
the society. Therefore, it is upon every society member to learn about these social factors that
affect health for a better living and avoid illness.(Braveman& Gottlieb, 2014).
Social Determinants of Health and Biomedical model
Physicians have used the biomedical model in diagnosing diseases since the 19th
century. It contains four crucial elements. (Ratter &Particrew, 2017) The model stands as one
critical principle which states that health entails being free from illness, pain or defect, making
the normal human condition healthy. It mainly focuses on the physical processes meaning that
it does not account for the role of social factors or personal subjectivity. Unlike the bio-
psychological model does not consider a diagnosis that influences the treatment to the result of
a negotiation between a doctor and a patient. (Farre&Rapley, 2017). This model entirely
focuses on biological aspects excluding environmental, social, and psychological influences. It is
termed as the leading new way for healthcare professionals that diagnoses and treats a
condition in most western countries (Ferrer, 2018).
Biomedical model is significant in several ways like encouraging researchers to get more
information about illness rather than assuming that nothing else can be done. It has also
provided with the knowledge of cause s helping to avoid disease. The model has also helped in

SOCIAL HEALTH DETERMINANTS ` 5
many successful treatments to be developed as a result of the research. Biomedical model has
some limitations when addressing social determinants of health. (Marmot& Allen, 2014). It first
disregards the notion that illness and health have a relationship and are societal constructed. It
majorly focuses on treatment rather than preventing the disease. (Wilcox&Echaubard, 2017) It
also points out that health problems are individual and it does not involve social factors which
cause illness; this is absolutes wrong since the social elements have become of the major
causes of diseases. Generally, the biomedical model has more limitations than the advantages
(Fontana, & Partridge, 2015). This may be due to the issue of sociology. (Bahum et al., 2014)
The societal health model puts into account several factors influencing the well-being of
an individual. The elements range from lifestyle, environment and economic. This does not
focus on pathogens and biology to look atsome bodies living and conditions, their wealth,
gender, race or anything outside the biological process. (Fare &Raply, 2017). The societal health
determinants are disorders which one is born with. He or she also grows lives and works with
these conditions which affect the health system in which they are raised up. The income power
and resources shape these things at all levels.(Fontana& Partridge, 2015) They are also
answerable for health discrimination between national, social classes and genders. Persisting
and raising growing inequalities, the World Health Organization established the social
determinants of health in 2005 which helps advice on how to reduce them.(Marmont& Allen,
2014) Sociologists always favor a social model of health where they believe that it should be
addressed thoroughly to avoid more illness in society (Ferrer, 2018).
Differences
In the first instance, the biomedical model mainly focuses on physical and biological
aspects of diseases and illness whereby the social model puts into consideration a wide range
of determinants like economic, social and economic that causes health and hazards (Rutter et
al., 2017). The biomedical model associates itself with the identification of disease whereas the
social model is keenly on the prevention of the cause (Fontana& Partridge, 2015). The
biomedical model is practiced by the qualified doctors, unlike social health that is exercised by a

SOCIAL HEALTH DETERMINANTS ` 6
broader range of people. The social model of health is still drilled today whereas the biomedical
model ended a long time ago. (Marmont&Allen, 2014)
Generally, biomedical model is usually practiced by the health and doctor professionals
and is associated with the diagnosis, cure and then treatment of the diseases and illness
(Braveman& Gottlieb, 2014). On the other hand, the social model is a theoretical framework in
which advancement in health and wellbeing is reached by the efforts of lecturing on the social,
economic and environmental determinants of health (Adaji et al., 2018). It is based on the
knowledge of health where social, economic and economic determinants should be discussed.
Conclusion
Having now a precise knowledge of the sociological factors on health and also how it is
compared to the medical model, one can now clearly understand that health and illness are
widely affected by the social factors (Braveman& Gottlieb, 2014). The members of the society
should stop discriminating others since that may cause health and disease hence should be
supportive of proper living. Am very sure after going through this paper, one will change and
later change the world as long as social health is concerned.

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