Question 1

What type of diseases come on suddenly and are often contagious?

Accepted Answer

Acute diseases come on suddenly and are often contagious.

Question 2

________ is the type of care we are practicing when we focus on making a person comfortable at the end of life.

Accepted Answer

Palliative care focuses on relieving pain, managing symptoms, and improving quality of life for individuals with serious illnesses, particularly those who are nearing the end of their lives. It is designed to provide comfort and support for both the patient and their loved ones. Crisis care is a type of care that is provided during a medical emergency or sudden illness, while chronic care is a long-term management of a chronic illness or condition. Preventive care is focused on promoting healthy behaviors and preventing illness before it occurs.

Question 3

Good health is

Accepted Answer

Good health is influenced by cultural values and beliefs, and therefore varies across different societies and populations. What is considered healthy in one culture may not be the same in another, making health culturally relative.

Question 4

In his film Sicko, Michael Moore brings attention to the difference between the health insurance of the wealthy and that of the poor. What sociological theory treats health insurance as a resource to explain this difference?

Accepted Answer

Conflict theory views society as composed of groups competing for finite resources, and health insurance is one such resource. This theory explains how the wealthy have better health insurance coverage than the poor because they have more resources to acquire it, while the poor struggle to obtain sufficient coverage.

Question 5

Obesity is now often treated with surgery. Weight loss was previously not often considered a medical problem that could be addressed through surgery. This is evidence of

Accepted Answer

The fact that obesity is now being treated with surgery reflects the medicalization of weight loss as a medical problem that can be addressed through surgery. This is tied to the social construction of health and illness, where what is considered a medical problem is influenced by cultural, social, and economic factors.

Question 6

Denise feels horrible, so she visits a doctor. The doctor tells Denise that she has a bad cold and should feel better soon. How would Denise's illness be classified?

Accepted Answer

Denise's illness is a short-term illness, which qualifies as acute. It is not a long-lasting condition (chronic), a sudden and dangerous situation (crisis), or a preventative measure.

Question 7

More than half of American women gave birth at home in the early 1900s, while around 99 percent of all births take place in hospitals today. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

The shift from home births to hospital births illustrates the process of medicalization, which occurs when a non-medical issue or experience becomes defined and treated as a medical problem. In this case, childbirth was medicalized as an inherently risky process that required medical intervention and supervision, leading to the near-universal adoption of hospital births.

Question 8

A highly vaccinated community maintains ________, a kind of group resistance that helps protect even the unvaccinated from contracting the disease.

Accepted Answer

Herd immunity refers to when a large portion of a community is immune to a disease, either through vaccination or previous exposure, and therefore the spread of the disease is slowed down or even stopped. This helps protect not only the vaccinated individuals but also those who cannot be vaccinated, such as infants or individuals with certain medical conditions.

Question 9

A reality television program called The Swan (2004-2005) intended to give women extreme makeovers. This was done by radically changing their appearance, in part through plastic surgery. Of what is this an example?

Accepted Answer

The Swan is an example of the medicalization of beauty, as it involved the use of medical procedures (plastic surgery) to achieve a certain standard of beauty.

Question 10

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company poisoned the water in Hinkley, California. The poisoned water system had sickened many Hinkley, California residents with ailments like liver damage and cancer. How would the illnesses of the Hinkley residents be classified?

Accepted Answer

Chronic diseases are long-term illnesses that develop over time and can be caused by environmental factors, such as exposure to toxic substances like the ones found in Hinkley's water. Liver damage and cancer are examples of chronic diseases.

Question 11

The most prevalent causes of death in the United States are due to chronic illness, while people in the developing world are continually affected by the threat of acute illnesses. This discrepancy indicates that

Accepted Answer

The discrepancy in causes of death between the United States and developing world suggests that illness is impacted by social factors. Chronic illnesses are often related to lifestyle choices and access to healthcare, whereas acute illnesses in the developing world may be caused by lack of access to clean water and other basic necessities. This shows that social factors play a significant role in the prevalence and treatment of illnesses.

Question 12

Ori got food poisoning at his favorite restaurant and was treated right away. This type of illness would be classified as

Accepted Answer

Food poisoning typically causes sudden onset of symptoms and is considered an acute illness.

Question 13

Siobhan recently learned that he has a mental illness. Since her diagnosis, she has begun to act according to the illness and in ways that she thinks others expect someone with a mental illness to act. Which theory of health and illness best explains her situation?

Accepted Answer

Symbolic interactionism suggests that people's behavior is based on their interpretation of the symbols around them. Siobhan's behavior is influenced by the societal expectations and symbols associated with having a mental illness, which she has internalized and is acting upon.

Question 14

Kea tries to take good care of herself by regularly exercising, getting an appropriate amount of rest, and eating a healthy diet. Her approach to health is MOST closely aligned with

Accepted Answer

Preventive medicine focuses on maintaining health and preventing disease through healthy lifestyle choices, such as regular exercise, adequate rest, and a balanced diet, which aligns with Kea's approach.

Question 15

Researchers often conduct studies on American college students. What is one organization that conducts such research to determine health behaviors as well as develop support programs and services on a wide variety of health-related issues?

Accepted Answer

The American College Health Association conducts research on American college students to determine health behaviors and develop support programs and services on a wide variety of health-related issues. The World Health Organization and United Nations focus on global health issues, while the Surgeon General's office primarily focuses on public health within the United States.

Question 16

It important to be concerned that approximately 75 percent of patients die in settings like hospitals instead of at home because it

Accepted Answer

The fact that a majority of patients die in hospitals indicates that death has been medicalized, or viewed as a medical problem rather than a natural part of life. This can have implications for end-of-life care and decision-making. The other choices do not accurately reflect the significance of this statistic.

Question 17

In the United States, we value slim, athletic builds and consider people with these body types to be healthier than people with more fleshy builds. But in Dakar, Senegal, people tend to value body types that in the United States would be considered clinically overweight. Senegalese women, in particular, associate these body types with both health and wealth: slimmer women actually want to gain weight in order to attain the "desirable," "healthy," "well-fed" build. What does this example suggest contributes to our ideal of a healthy body?

Accepted Answer

The example suggests that our idea of a healthy body is influenced by social factors and culture, as different societies and cultures have different norms and values surrounding body size and shape. Biology and genetics may play a role in determining an individual's natural body type, but societal standards and cultural beliefs ultimately shape our ideals of what a healthy body looks like. Epidemiology is the study of patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease in populations, but does not directly relate to this example.

Question 18

What do sociologists ask you to consider regarding health and illness?

Accepted Answer

Sociologists ask you to consider how health and illness are shaped by social factors.

Question 19

Dr. Robinson believes that the ongoing Flint water crisis in Michigan is only still a problem because the affected population is mostly black and poor. He believes the slow response of government officials is a result of this population's lack of economic and political power. With which theoretical viewpoint do Dr. Robinson's beliefs align?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Robinson's beliefs align with conflict theory, which emphasizes the role of power and inequality in society. The slow response of government officials to the Flint water crisis can be understood in the context of conflict theory, which suggests that those in power may prioritize the needs of more privileged groups over marginalized groups. Dr. Robinson specifically points to the race and economic status of the affected population as contributing factors to the slow response, which is consistent with conflict theory's emphasis on power dynamics based on social categories such as race and class.

Question 20

As the process of ________ develops, we will be less likely to treat someone who has a mental health issue as having something they should just "deal with" alone. We will instead be more likely to think of the issue as having to do with a disease.

Accepted Answer

The process of medicalization involves framing an issue in medical terms, such as treating mental health issues as diseases. This shift in perspective can lead to more compassionate and effective treatment rather than simply expecting individuals to cope on their own. Acute care and hospitalization are more specific terms related to treatment, while the professionalization of doctors pertains to their training and qualifications.

Quiz 14: Health and Illness