Social causes of health and disease / William C. Cockerham.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cockerham, William C.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social medicine.

Health--Social aspects.

Health.

Diseases--Social aspects.

Diseases.

Physical Description:

vii, 232 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge ; Malden, MA : Polity, 2007.

Summary:

In this exciting new book, William Cockerham, a leading medical sociologist, assesses the evidence that social factors have direct causal effects on health and many diseases. He argues that stress, poverty, unhealthy lifestyles, and unpleasant living and work conditions can all be directly associated with illness.

Noting a new emphasis on social structure in both theory and multi-level research techniques, he argues that a paradigm shift is now emerging in twenty-first century medical sociology which looks beyond individual explanations for health and disease. As the old gives way to the new in medical sociology, the field is headed toward a fundamentally different orientation. William Cockerham's clear and compelling account is at the forefront of these changes. This lively and accessible book offers a coherent introduction to social epidemiology, as well as challenging aspects of the existing literature. It will be indispensable reading for all students and scholars of medical sociology, especially those with the courage to confront the possibility that society really does make people sick.

Contents:

1 The Social Causation of Health and Disease 1

2 Theorizing about Health and Disease 25

3 Health Lifestyles 49

4 The Power of Class 75

5 Class and Health: Explaining the Relationship 102

6 Age, Gender, and Race/Ethnicity as Structural Variables 125

7 Living Conditions and Neighborhood Disadvantage 149

8 Health and Social Capital 167.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [191]-220) and indexes.

ISBN:

9780745635880

0745635881

0745635873

9780745635873

OCLC:

156816337