Module 3 Discussion 2 - Chapter 11: Health and Society

Social Science - Sociology HOMEWORK

MODULE 3 DISCUSSION 2 INSTRUCTIONS Chapter 11 Discussion

Chapter 11 Discussion: Health and Society

As you read in chapter 11, you will note the disparities in health outcomes based on one's social class, race, gender, neighborhood, occupation, and age, just to name a few factors. This assignment asks you to choose one health related issue that is specific to race/class/gender, and research it from a sociological perspective. For example, why are working class Americans more likely to experience morbid obesity than upper middle class Americans? Why are African Americans more likely to have cardiovascular diseases? Why are Black women three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their white counterparts? Why is the mental illness rate disproportionately higher in the Asian American community in the United States?

While some of the factors that may explain the health issues may be due to biological / genetic factors, the point of this assignment is to examine the sociological factors that may contribute to these differences. You should do some research to examine this issue, and develop a discussion post.