Health Sociology & Well-being Flashcards

The social gradient in health refers to the observation that:

Answer: Higher socioeconomic position is associated with better health outcomes in a graded, stepwise fashion across the entire social spectrum

The social gradient means that health differences are not just between the poor and everyone else; each step up the social ladder is associated with incrementally better health, extending to the highest socioeconomic levels.

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) in health sociology is distinguished by:

Answer: Collaboration between researchers and community members as equal partners in defining problems and solutions

CBPR is defined by equitable partnership between academic researchers and community stakeholders throughout the research process—from problem identification to dissemination—ensuring research addresses genuine community health priorities.

Social support networks are associated with positive health outcomes primarily because they:

Answer: Provide emotional, informational, and tangible resources that buffer against stress and promote health behaviors

Social support—through emotional validation, practical assistance, and access to health information—buffers the harmful physiological effects of stress and promotes adherence to health-promoting behaviors.

Global health sociology examines health issues at the international level by focusing on:

Answer: How global inequalities, trade policies, and post-colonial structures shape health outcomes across nations

Global health sociology situates health outcomes within structures of global capitalism, colonialism, and international governance, examining how power inequalities between nations produce differential health burdens.

The Health Belief Model predicts that an individual is most likely to engage in a preventive health behavior when they believe:

Answer: They are susceptible to a serious health threat and that the behavior's benefits outweigh its barriers

The Health Belief Model posits that perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers together predict whether an individual will take preventive action.

A sociological practitioner conducting a community health needs assessment should prioritize:

Answer: Gathering both quantitative health data and qualitative community perspectives to identify social determinants

An effective community health needs assessment integrates epidemiological data with community voice—including residents' perceptions of local stressors, assets, and barriers—to identify socially embedded health determinants.

The concept of 'structural violence,' as applied in health sociology, refers to:

Answer: The ways that social structures systematically harm marginalized groups by embedding inequality into institutions and policies

Structural violence, a term advanced by Paul Farmer, describes how political-economic arrangements harm people by blocking access to resources, creating conditions of poverty and inequality that are as deadly as direct violence.