Unit 7
P5: Compare patterns and trends
of health and illness in three
different social groups.
M3: Use sociological explanations
for health inequalities to explain
the patterns and trends of health
and illness in three different social
groups.
Aims
• Describe patterns of health and
illness in different social groups.
• Describe possible explanations
for health inequalities from The
Black Report (1980)
Objectives
• Identify vulnerable groups in society.
• Identify how vulnerability can impact on
morbidity and mortality.
• Describe the 4 explanations for health
inequalities described in the Black
Report.
• To link the Black Report’s reasons for
health inequalities to the social groups’
patterns of health and illness.
Patterns of Health & Illness
Take 1 piece of your research and explain
to another person:
1) What the research shows in terms of
patterns of health and illness
2) What the research shows in terms of
health inequalities
3) Possible reasons for why the health
inequalities happened
Group Work Activity
• In pairs or small groups, use your research to make a
poster presentation.
• Identify patterns of health and illness in one of the
following social groups:
Social Class
Gender
Ethnicity
Age
Geographical Location
Sexuality
• Describe how being in this social group effects morbidity
and mortality.
• Consider ALL the concepts of health (eg physical,
psychological, environmental, sociological and spiritual
health).
The Black Report (1980)
• The Black Report (1980) and The Health Divide
(1988) were government reports that found
there were health inequalities in Britain
between social classes.
• The government tried to cover up the findings
of the Health Divide because they were so
embarrassed that a developed country could
have such differences in health between
different social groups.
• The Black Report (1980) offered four possible
explanations for the health inequalities that it
found
1. Artefact Explanation
• An artefact is
something that is
man-made
• We recognise things
like Tutankhamun’s
Mummy as an artefact
1. Artefact Explanation
• The artefact explanation of health inequalities
says there are NO health inequalities, we only
think there are because of the way the MANMADE statistics are generated.
• In pairs describe the problems of collecting
epidemiological data that could mean the
statistics are wrong. (See notes from last week).
• Inequalities only exist because of the way social
class is constructed by people - discuss
2. Social Selection Explanation
• People are in lower social
classes because of their poor
health, rather than their class
causing poor health.
• Describe the impact of
chronic anorexia on her
education, work experience,
promotion prospects and
identify how this could cause
them to go into lower social
classes.
• Do you agree with the social
selection explanation? Why?
Developed anorexia at
age 12, she is now 19
3. Behavioural/Cultural Explanation
• Blames ill-health on the
sufferers because they
don’t have a healthy
lifestyle.
• Suggests working class
people smoke and drink
too much and have poor
diet and lack of exercise
• Do you agree??
4. Structural/Material Explanation
• Poor people have substandard structural & material
possessions which in turn gives them poorer health.
• Explain how poor housing and manual unskilled jobs can
lead to poor health.
• Explain stressful factors in a poor person’s life.
• Do you agree?
Group Work
• In small groups:
• Describe one of the explanations from
the Black Report
• Give examples to both support and
discount the explanation
• Feedback to the other groups – all
members of group to contribute in all
aspects of the group work