1. 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.

2. Aims
Describe patterns of health and illness in different social groups.
Describe possible explanations for health inequalities from The Black Report (1980)

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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).
How do the GCSE grades differ between geographical locations?
How do they differ within geographical locations>
What does this tell us?? If anything?
What other things can you identify about where schools are?
~Take 1 piece of your research and describe it to the other person stating:
What it shows in terms of patterns of health and illness, what it shows in tersm of inequality of health.

6. 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

7. 1. Artefact Explanation An artefact is something that is man-made
We recognise things like Tutankhamun’s Mummy as an artefact

8. 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 MAN-MADE 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
Number of people in lower class groups, especially unskilled manual workers is in decline, so stats on health inequalities among the poorer classes are based on fewer people.
The few workers remaining in lower-class jobs are still experiencing better health than in the past
~these figures tend ot mask the higher levels of degenerative disease among (especially) middle-class women, eg Alzheimer’s, as women and middle-class people live longer.
This explanation also criticizes the classification of people occupation.
Students to read this in pairs (on handout) and analyse whether they agree with the Artefact explanation for health inequalities

9. 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?
Give example of Bi-polar disorder and epilepsy and diabetes.
Ensure they understand the word chronic.
Developed anorexia at age 12, she is now 19

10. 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??
Is it in your culture to have poor health behaviours?
Which groups drink and smoke too much? Or does everyone?

11. 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?

12. 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