Social Behavioral Health Exam 1 Ch. 3

The study of diseases and disease patterns in a given population

The number of NEW cases per designated time period (ex. per 100000 persons/year)

the total number of cases in a population at a particular time

factors associated with the etiology of the disease; ex. Diet, use of alcohol, tobacco, exercise habits, and distribution of body fat

Identification of the psychosocial risk factors associated with patterns of disease w/in and across populations; Poses questions about differences in morbidity and mortality by gender, age, SES, and race/ethnicity

Focuses on behaviors that contribute to etiology of disease, targets lifestyle factors

Investigates relationship b/w disease patterns and cultural factors; Includes research on distribution of cultural beliefs w/in a populations

Measured by education and occupation, but most often only by income
Lack of good data on SES makes it difficult to formulate health policies that address affects of poverty
US does not routinely report health statistics by income level
Race used as proxy for SES
Difficult to formulate policies that address effects of poverty
SES is one of the strongest predictors of morbidity and premature mortality

• More resources - poor families don't have income to purchase clean safe adequate nutritious food
• Psychosocial Stress- people with limited economic resources exhibit higher stress
• Health Selection - poor health status determines social position; people who are less healthy are less productive and drift down the socioeconomic ladder; mostly rejected theory
• Early - Life Exposure - education, cultural advantages, genetics, affect social and health status in later life
• Access to Health Care - people with no access to health care are at greater risk for wide variety of health problems
• Health Behavior - poor people behave in ways that make them more likely to get sick; ex. Smoking, drinking, lack of physical activity

Social ecology of health model; Framework based on differing degrees of directness of effect for various etiologic factors affecting health

direct influence on health and illness are

• Behavioral variables, specific activities
o Ex: Diet, sleep, substance abuse, unsafe sex

more removed and affect problems more indirectly; macro level, socio-demographic, sociocultural and environmental factors; background causes that predispose people

• Structural or fundamental causes
o Poverty, education, urban or rural residency, racism!!

act as buffers for distal factors and link proximal to distal; may operate as intervening variables to channel negative influence

• Community level risk factors
o Occupation, social support, health care resources