A Comprehensive Report on Concepts in Health and Ill Health in the UK

This report provides a comprehensive overview of health and ill-health concepts, exploring theoretical perspectives such as structural functionalism, social constructionism, and the political economy approach. It discusses Parson’s sick role and the impact of stigmatization on service users. The report also examines healthcare delivery models, justifying their application with a case study, and analyzes how the UK government measures mortality and morbidity. Furthermore, it addresses social inequalities in health, the factors influencing them, and the use of health education and health promotion to improve the nation's health, concluding that understanding these concepts and promoting healthier choices are crucial for improving overall well-being.

Concepts in Health and Ill Health.

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.......................................................................................................................................3
TASK 1.................................................................................................................................................3
Theoretical perspectives to health and illness........................................................................................3
Describe parson’s sick role....................................................................................................................4
Describe stigmatization and its potential affect upon service users.......................................................5
TASK 2.................................................................................................................................................5
Models of healthcare delivery...............................................................................................................5
Justify healthcare delivery model with help of case study.....................................................................5
TASK 3.................................................................................................................................................6
Discuss how government measure mortality and morbidity across UK.................................................6
Describe social inequality in health and factors which influence it.......................................................6
Discuss use of health education and health promotion to improve health of Nation..............................6
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES....................................................................................................................................8
Health and Illness in History, Science and Society, 2018 [Online] Available through:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5816293/...................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
The concept of well-being and ill health is generally a state of complete physical,
social and psychological well-being and not only the nonappearance of illness or sickness. It
is a fundamental human right. In this, the well-being of a person is specifically associated
with the ecosystem in which a person can live and mainly their capability to adapt as well as
integrate within their life. It is known that having relationship with environment is quite
essential because is the only interaction which can illustrate the concept of normality as
compared with pathology. In addition to this, the concept of disease has evolved. In the past
decades, it was specifically associated with the presence of microbes or pathogens. Lately,
the stress was placed upon the constitution and the surrounding environment (Health and
Illness in History, Science and Society, 2018). Currently, disease is seen as a whole system
which the human body puts in a place in order to find again its lost balance. Nowadays,
illness can be effectively diagnosed by the healthcare professionals by significant objective
standards. Therefore, its concept can be seen by several unique viewpoints. In this report, it
will cover the specific theoretical outlooks towards well-being and illness. Along with this,
there is a discussion about models of healthcare delivery in order to produce a better well-
being outcome for the vulnerable patients by enhancing access to the care services and
decreasing the preventable mortality rates within a healthcare organization (Schram-Bijkerk,
Otte, Dirven and Breure, 2018).
MAIN BODY
TASK 1
Theoretical perspectives to health and illness.
There are generally the three main theoretical perspectives to health and illness such
as structural functionalism, social constructionism and the political economy approach
(Theoretical Perspectives on Medicine and Society, 2011).
Structural functionalism: In this, the functionalist approach towards the sociology of
well-being and illness views the social relations within the well-being care settings as a
product of consensual community, in which the social order as well as the harmony are
preserved by the people acting in various defined roles as well as can perform various
specific functions. In this, it is interested within the procedure by the healthcare professionals
as well as the physicians can carry out their daily living tasks as well as how people can

overcome their illness. In this, the classic functionalist position is to view the disease as a
potential state of the social ‘deviance’ which is a failure to confirm towards the societal
expectations as well as the norms in some pathways. A state of disease is generally
considered as an unnatural state of the human body which can cause issues in both physical
and social dysfunction and therefore should be alleviated as soon as possible. the functionalist
can argue that the feelings of the stigma, shame as well as vulnerability can accompany
various state of disease.
Political economy perspectives: In this, the political approach is generally developed
as a serious response to the functionalism in contrast of larger alterations within social
thought occurring in the late 1970’s, generally the Marxist views on the capitalist economic
system. Also called as a serious structuralism, the approach was a central logical movement
in the late 1970s and the early 1980s as well as remains significant within the sociology of
the well-being and disease. In contrast with the perspectives, a good well-being is generally
described in terms of political, not only as a state of both physical and emotional health, but
as access to as well as can control over the basic non-material and material resources which
can endure as well as promote the life at great level of fulfilment, simply meaning that a key
factor of well-being is struggle.
Social constructionism: In this, the perspectives of the social constructionism
generally began to receive an enhanced expression within the sociology of well-being and
disease and the history of medicine in the early 1980s as well as can remain a dominant
approach within a contemporary study as well. In addition to this, it is an approach that
questions claim to the existence of an essential truths. Its primary concentration is mainly to
examine the social aspects of the biomedicine, the improvement of medico-scientific as well
as lay the understanding of medical and practices as well.
Describe parson’s sick role.
It is generally a concept which can concerns about the social aspects of becoming
disease as well as the rights and associated obligations which come with it. The parson
specifically argues that if various people claimed to be ill then, it may involve a dysfunctional
influence over the societies, however, their entry into the sick role significantly need a
regulation. The parson, however, devised the mechanism of sick role of how ideally a
healthcare professional as well as the patients are inter-associated (Sociology Definition: Sick
Role, 2018).

Describe stigmatization and its potential affect upon service users.
The term “stigmatization” within health and social care is generally a powerful social
procedure which is characterized by labelling, stereotyping as well as separating, and leading
to a status loss as well as discrimination they all are happening in contrast with power. Its
concept within health and social care can be categorized within two types such as:
 The social stigma, that can involve the prejudiced attitude and behaviours which other
people have around health and illness.
 The self-perceived stigma, that can include an individualized stigma an individual
with the specific illness suffers from.
The discrimination as well as stigma can effectively make the health issues of an
individual worse as well as can stop or avoid a person from being getting help. In addition
to this, the social isolation, reduced well-being, poverty and unemployment they all are
associated with the public health issues. So, the stigma as well as the discrimination can
efficiently trap an individual in a cycle of a disease (Stigma, discrimination and mental
illness, 2015).
TASK 2
Models of healthcare delivery.
In health and social care, the model of care is generally a wide term that can define
the pathway in which the healthcare services are delivered to the service user. It generally
outlines the best possible care practice as well as the care services for an individual, a group
or across population as they can progress via the stages of conditions, a specific injury or
harm. In this, there are the basic models of care such as total patient care, care team nursing,
functional care nurse as well as a primary care nurse. These such models are generally
differing within the clinical decisions making, communication, allocation of work within care
settings, the effective management, and with differing the both social and economic forces
that are driving the choice of model.
Justify healthcare delivery model with help of case study.
The healthcare delivery model generally implies the care organization, their delivery,
staffing their regulation as well as the quality of control of the well-being care services. Its
objectives can involve such as:
 To enhance the well-being status of the population.

 To enhance the experience of healthcare.
 To decrease the economic burden of the disease.
 To enhance the social justice equity as well.
TASK 3
Discuss how government measure mortality and morbidity across UK.
Across United Kingdom, until recently, the trends of mortality over the last many
years in England has been clear, since the world-war 1 every decade has been seen among
people generally living longer than the usual. From past years, therefore, the concern was
specifically increased about an elevation in the rates of mortality among the older people.
while following the Public Health England, it generally reported on the decline within the life
expectancy at the older age group people within England. In addition to this, the office for the
National statistics (ONS), having support from the Public Health England, generally
examined the increase in deaths at the starting of year 2015, that can ultimately lead to
decline in the life expectancy at birth that year (A review of recent trends in mortality in
England, 2018).
Describe social inequality in health and factors which influence it.
In this, the disparities within health generally refers to a systematic variation within
the well-being which can exists among the socio-economic positions, the ethnicities, social
classes, genders, the sexual orientations and various other social groups having a
differentiated access towards both material and non-material resources. In this, there are the
factors which can effectively contribute towards social disparities such as the social
stratification, social variation, the social distribution of the wealth, power, income as well as
status. The social disparities is specifically an area among the sociology which concentrates
over the distribution of the goods as well as various type of burdens within a society. for
example, a good can be education, income, employment or the parental leave whereas, the
burdens can include the criminality, substance abuse, marginalisation as well as
unemployment and may more (Social inequality, 2019).
Discuss use of health education and health promotion to improve health of Nation.
Within health and social care, promoting well-being is generally a behavioural social
science which can be drawn from the environmental, behavioural, physical, psychological as
well as the medical sciences in order to promote the well-being of an individual as well as

can effectively prevent the specific illnesses, their disabilities and the premature deaths via
lack of education-driven voluntary behavioural change activities. In this, the promotions of
the well-being are generally a development of a person, group and across community in order
to enhance the well-being understanding or knowledge, their attitudes as well as skills and
behaviours. In context with educational institutions, the health educators can teach health as a
subject and can provide support to the people so that they can effectively able to make the
healthy choices and can create a caring community. Through use of health education, it can
help the people to enhance the health status of people, their families, community and across
country. It can effectively increase the quality of life for all the people and can help to
decrease the premature deaths also (WHAT IS HEALTH PROMOTION?, 2021).
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion, it is concluded that having adequate knowledge or
understanding about health and effectiveness of healthier choices can effectively help a
person to improve their well-being. In this, there is a global acceptance that the well-being
and social health are specifically identified by various factors that are generally outside to the
health system such as disparities due to the socio-economic political factors, consumption of
unhealthy food, unhealthy lifestyle, the demographic alterations which can make influence
over working conditions, the learning surrounding and many more. In order to encounter the
specific difficulties or challenges caused by the altering scenarios like the epidemiological
transitions, change in climate, food insecurity, financial crisis and many more, a promotion of
health has been emerged as an essential tool. In addition to this, a multisectoral, the evidence-
based well-being promotional programs, adequate funds with having participation of the
community, targeting the complex cultural alterations and the socioeconomic at both
individual and a community level is specifically the need of the hour to positively alter the
complex socioeconomic determinants of well-being.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Khoshnood, Z., Rayyani, M. and Tirgari, B., 2020. Theory analysis for Pender’s health
promotion model (HPM) by Barnum’s criteria: a critical perspective. International Journal of
Adolescent Medicine and Health, 32(4).
Llena-Nozal, A., Martin, N. and Murtin, F., 2019. The economy of well-being: Creating
opportunities for people’s well-being and economic growth.
Mandville-Anstey, S.A., Ward, P., Cameron, E., Browne, M. and Foley, H., 2022. Aging as a
Productive Process: A Critical Analysis of Aging Policy in Newfoundland and Labrador,
Canada. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 34(1), pp.1-19.
Salvador, Á., Crespo, C. and Barros, L., 2019. The benefits of family-centered care for
parental self-efficacy and psychological well-being in parents of children with
cancer. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(7), pp.1926-1936.
Schram-Bijkerk, D., Otte, P., Dirven, L. and Breure, A.M., 2018. Indicators to support
healthy urban gardening in urban management. Science of the Total Environment, 621,
pp.863-871.
Suarez‐Balcazar, Y., 2020. Meaningful engagement in research: Community residents as co‐
creators of knowledge. American journal of community psychology, 65(3-4), pp.261-271.
Vella, S.A., 2019. Mental health and organized youth sport. Kinesiology Review, 8(3),
pp.229-236.
Online:
A review of recent trends in mortality in England, 2018 [Online] Available through:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/
attachment_data/file/827518/Recent_trends_in_mortality_in_England.pdf
Health and Illness in History, Science and Society, 2018 [Online] Available through:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5816293/
Social inequality, 2019 [Online] Available through:
https://www.sv.uio.no/iss/english/research/research-areas/social-inequality/
Sociology Definition: Sick Role, 2018 [Online] Available through:
<https://www.thoughtco.com/sick-role-definition-3976325#:~:text=The%20sick%20role
%20is%20a,policed%20by%20the%20medical%20profession>
Stigma, discrimination and mental illness, 2015 [Online] Available through:
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/servicesandsupport/stigma-discrimination-and-
mental-illness
Theoretical Perspectives on Medicine and Society, 2011[Online] Available through:
https://uk.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-assets/46263_book_item_46263.pdf
WHAT IS HEALTH PROMOTION?, 2021 [Online] Available through:
https://publichealth.uga.edu/departments/health-promotion-behavior/what-is-health-
promotion/