UNDERSTANDING HEALTH:

EVALUATE VIEWS OF HEALTH AND APPLY THE APPROPRIATE MODEL

Approach Understanding of health

Biological Focus: the role of genes and their interactions with other determinants of health

Biomedical Focus: medically defined pathology

Behavioural Focus: the role of lifestyle behaviours

Public Health Focus: reducing disease prevalence rates and controlling communicable disease.

Health Education Focus: reducing risk factors promoting healthy behaviour

Sociological Focus: the role of social, political, economic and cultural factors

Health promotion Focus: health as a means to an end, such as happiness and an improved quality of life

New public health Focus: political & economic causes of disease, social justice and equity.

LOGIC OF CARE:
- The logic of care is about life with a disease. It is inclusive of all aspects of daily life and involves a
range of people, such as patients, family, and professionals. Because it is integral to daily life it is
necessarily complex and hard to identify and measure.
LOGIC OF CHOICE:
- The logic of choice promulgates the idea that. there are options and that we have the freedom to
choose between them. It also emphasises the. notion of the right to choose.

DEFINE THE BIOMEDICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL MODELS OF HEALTH:

BIOMEDICAL MODEL:

FOCUS individuals who are sick, pathology, genes, micro- organisms

RELATED natural & life sciences, medicine

DISCIPLINE

PROS - Treatment for a range of illnesses (such as antibiotics for strep throat)
- Treatment for injury (such as rehabilitation after a sports injury)
- Prevention (such as the polio vaccinationS

CONS - Emphasis on treatment, especially high-tech / high-profit treatment, rather than

prevention
- Services are often skewed towards those who can pay (inequities in who can access
care and how quickly people can access care)
 - Social, environmental and functional aspects of health/illness are not typically
included

BEHAVIOURAL MODEL

FOCUS Individuals who take risks. E.g., smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol, stress

RELATED psychology, medicine, health promotion

DISCIPLINE

PROS - personal health interventions can be effective

CONS - Lifestyle interventions are often only effective for the middle to upper classes
- Lifestyle interventions ignore the socio-environmental determinants of health

DEFINE THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MODELS OF HEALTH:

SOCIAL:

FOCUS - social and economic positions, the social gradient of disease, public policy

RELATED - sociology, public health, population health, epidemiology

DISCIPLINE

PROS - Addresses the ‘causes of the causes’ of ill health

- Focuses on prevention of ill health & improving the equity in the distribution of health

CONS - Medicine as business is more interested in profit

- Political obstacles
- Funding inequities

ENVIRONMENTAL:

FOCUS places,physical structures, public policy- housing conditions, Geographic

location,occupational risks, access to services

RELATED sociology,public health, sustainability, policy development, environmental studies,

DISCIPLINE architecture & engineering, Occupational Health & Safety

PROS - Addresses the ‘causes of the

causes’ of ill health
- Focuses on prevention of ill health & improving the equity in the distribution of health

CONS - Getting evidence for evaluating the health impact of environments and policy can be
difficult
APPLY MODELS OF HEALTH TO APPROACHES DEVELOPED TO REDUCE HEART DISEASE
DETERMINANT OF HEALTH

TOP DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH

1. CLASS/ SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS Income and relative position within the social hierarchy

2. EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT Adverse childhood experiences

3. POVERTY, DEPRIVATION AND SOCIAL Absolute poverty

EXCLUSION

4. HEALTH LITERACY Access to health information

5. GENDER Gender norms