Contemporary Issues in Health and Illness
Exam Solutions
Course Introduction
This course explores current and emerging issues affecting health and illness from multidisciplinary perspectives, integrating insights from sociology, public health, and medicine. Students will critically examine topics such as health disparities, the impact of globalization, healthcare policy, mental health, chronic diseases, and the influence of technology on healthcare delivery. Emphasis is placed on how social, cultural, economic, and political factors shape health outcomes and experiences of illness in diverse populations. Through case studies and current research, students will develop skills in analyzing complex health issues and devising informed responses to contemporary challenges in health and illness.
Recommended Textbook
The Sociology of Health Illness and Health Care A Critical Approach 7th Edition by Rose Weitz
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13 Chapters
358 Verified Questions
358 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/2102
2
Chapter 1: The Sociology of Health, Illness, and Health Care
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21 Verified Questions
21 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41865
Sample Questions
Q1) To decide whether to believe in the results of a published study, it helps to know
A)whether the research was based on a random sample.
B)whether the researchers controlled statistically for possibly confounding variables.
C)what type of magazine or journal published it.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above
Answer: D
Q2) Those who frame their research questions in terms of public issues, rather than personal troubles, can be said to use
A)the sociological perspective.
B)functionalist theory.
C)psychoanalysis.
D)a public health perspective.
E)radical theory.
Answer: A
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Chapter 2: The Social Sources of Modern Illness
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29 Verified Questions
29 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Social stress
A)can cause mental as well as physical illness.
B)is most common among busy middle-class people.
C)can cause illness, but does not affect the immune system.
D)improves the immune system.
E)improves one's life choices.
Answer: A
Q2) John McKinlay would refer to advertising companies that work for tobacco producers as
A)primary producers.
B)secondary producers.
C)primary practitioners.
D)manufacturers of illness.
E)"downstream" problems.
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: The Social Distribution of Illness in the United States
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25 Verified Questions
25 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41867
Sample Questions
Q1) Imagine that you are a woman who is a recent immigrant and who works in a factory. Identify three factors that might put you and your family at risk for poor health. Answer: 1) Language barrier: As a recent immigrant, I may struggle to communicate with my coworkers and supervisors, making it difficult to fully understand my job tasks and safety protocols. This could increase the risk of workplace accidents and injuries.
2) Limited access to healthcare: As a new immigrant, I may not be familiar with the healthcare system in my new country and may face barriers in accessing affordable healthcare services for myself and my family. This could result in untreated health conditions and missed preventative care.
3) Financial instability: Working in a factory may provide a steady income, but it may not be enough to cover all of our family's needs, including healthcare, healthy food, and safe housing. This financial strain could lead to stress, poor nutrition, and living in unsafe conditions, all of which can contribute to poor health outcomes.
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Chapter 4: Illness and Death in Less Developed Nations
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29 Verified Questions
29 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41868
Sample Questions
Q1) Of the following, which is the most important cause of infant mortality in less developed nations?
A)herpes
B)emphysema
C)accidents
D)illegal drug use
E)malnutrition and infection
Q2) Chronic malnutrition in the less developed nations can best be explained by A)overpopulation.
B)lack of natural resources.
C)population density.
D)the social distribution of food and other resources.
E)none of the above
Q3) Why has HIV/AIDS spread more rapidly in Africa than in the United States? Why has heterosexual transmission played a greater role in Africa?
Q4) Imagine that WHO has asked you to consult on a public health program to address malnutrition globally. How can the concepts of global health and structural violence help you in developing your recommendations?
Q5) Why should war and disasters be considered public health issues?
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Chapter 5: The Social Meanings of Illness
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27 Verified Questions
27 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is least well explained by the sick role model?
A)the illegal drug user whose family rejects him after he gets AIDS
B)the illegal drug user whose family supports him after he gets AIDS
C)the person who seeks medical care for syphilis
D)the person who seeks medical care for a mild cold
E)the person who believes doctors always know best
Q2) Which of the following policies would legislators who believe heart disease is primarily caused by individual lifestyle choices be most likely to support?
A)increased funding for reducing air pollution
B)proposals to increase the number of epidemiologists
C)heavy taxes on tobacco manufacturers
D)tax deductions for persons at risk of heart disease who join gyms
E)increased funding for research on heart disease
Q3) According to the sociological model of illness, illness is a
A)form of deviance.
B)subjectively defined condition.
C)social construction.
D)moral status.
E)all of the above
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Page 7
Chapter 6: The Experience of Disability, Chronic Pain, and Chronic Illness
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28 Verified Questions
28 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41870
Sample Questions
Q1) Films such as The Nightmare on Elm Street and Peter Pan
A)equate physical deformity with physical illness.
B)reduce prejudice against disabled persons.
C)equate physical deformity with moral deformity.
D)reflect a medical model of disability.
E)reflect a social model of disability.
Q2) In part, an individual's experience of disability and illness reflects their social identity. What do studies tell us about how women's and men's experiences of disability differ?
Q3) How does the social construction of illness-both specific illnesses and illness in general-affect the lives of persons who have chronic illnesses?
Q4) Your textbook argues that the Internet has had a large and recent impact on the way that people experience their health and the institution of healthcare. Discuss at least three ways in which the Internet is changing people's health experiences, either positively or negatively.
Q5) Over the last few decades, the prevalence of disabilities has A)increased.
B)decreased.
C)stayed about the same.
Page 8
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Chapter 7: The Sociology of Mental Illness
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29 Verified Questions
29 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41871
Sample Questions
Q1) Approximately what percent of U.S. adults experience a diagnosable mental illness in a typical year?
A)5 percent
B)10 percent
C)30 percent
D)50 percent
E)70 percent
Q2) Research using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) suggests that A)the DSM has a high degree of reliability.
B)clinicians are able to arrive at consistent diagnoses.
C)different clinicians may diagnose the same patient differently.
D)politics are not involved in the construction of diagnostic categories.
E)diagnostic categories are stable over time.
Q3) A sociologist who studies how being labeled as mentally ill affects individuals' views of themselves is using A)functionalist theory.
B)role theory.
C)life events theory.
D)symbolic interactionism theory.
E)aligning theory.
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Chapter 8: Health Care in the United States
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41872
Sample Questions
Q1) Under community rating,
A)individual premiums are based on estimates of that individual's chances of becoming ill.
B)individual premiums are based on the average risk level of the community as a whole.
C)doctors receive higher average incomes.
D)nurses receive higher average incomes.
E)Blue Shield is a better economic investment than Blue Cross.
Q2) How has Canada's single payer system kept health care costs down more effectively than the US system?
Q3) Health care in the United States is more expensive than in other developed nations because
A)Americans receive more care than do citizens of those other nations.
B)the United States has unusually high rates of malpractice lawsuits.
C)the US population is aging more quickly than that of those other nations.
D)All of the above.
E)None of the above
Q4) Why have health care costs risen in the United States?
Q5) What factors account for the rise of managed care? What are the potential pitfalls and benefits of managed care?
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Chapter 9: Health Care Around the Globe
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29 Verified Questions
29 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41873
Sample Questions
Q1) Infant mortality and life expectancy in China are now
A)on a par with those of other developing countries.
B)only slightly below those of the industrialized nations.
C)a major cause of economic losses.
D)rising at the same rate.
E)rising steadily but slowly.
Q2) Which of the following is true?
A)Since the time of the Chinese Revolution, the Chinese government has provided equal access to health care to all its citizens.
B)In recent years, the Chinese health care system has reduced its emphasis on profit-making.
C)Events in the Democratic Republic of Congo demonstrate the difficulties of offering quality health care in the face of armed conflicts.
D)all of the above
E)none of the above
Q3) Which nation's health care system would you prefer? Why?
Q4) How is health care rationed in Canada and Great Britain? Are these systems of rationing better, worse, or no different from how we ration care in the United States?
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Health Care Settings and Technologies
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30 Verified Questions
30 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41874
Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is true?
A)Few 90-year-old American men have prostate cancer.
B)Prostate cancer kills most who develop it.
C)Treatment for prostate cancer causes few significant side-effects.
D)A nationwide prostate cancer detection and treatment program would reduce the national costs for the disease.
E)A nationwide detection and treatment program would increase the national costs of dealing with prostate cancer.
Q2) Respite care refers to
A)board and care homes.
B)skilled nursing homes.
C)any system designed to give caregivers a break from their responsibilities.
D)care grounded in a spirit of charity.
E)care given respectfully.
Q3) Which of the following is not a technology?
A)Band-Aids
B)heart-lung machines
C)the process of blood transfusion
D)fruit salads with high vitamin C content
E)blood pressure machines
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Chapter 11: The Profession of Medicine
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28 Verified Questions
28 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41875
Sample Questions
Q1) The federal government developed a vested interest in restraining health care costs following the implementation of A)DRGs.
B)HMOs.
C)Medicaid and Medicare.
D)horizontal integration.
E)vertical integration.
Q2) To become a profession, an occupation must
A)set its own education and licensing standards.
B)eliminate all competitors.
C)prove its scientific grounding.
D)have all members take courses in ethics.
E)earn over $60,000 per person.
Q3) Doctors' power over their patients increases when A)patients are physically unable to communicate.
B)doctors work in solo practice.
C)doctors and patients share the same culture.
D)doctors and patients share the same language.
E)doctors belong to the AMA.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Other Mainstream and Alternative Health Care
Providers
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26 Verified Questions
26 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41876
Sample Questions
Q1) What factors make it easier for some mainstream health care occupations compared to others to approach or attain professional status? (Do not include alternative healers in your answer.)
Q2) Which of the following meets the sociological definition of a profession?
A)advanced practice nursing
B)chiropractic
C)midwifery
D)acupuncture
E)none of the above
Q3) To gain professional status, osteopaths
A)fought against licensure.
B)increased educational requirements for becoming an osteopath.
C)pushed for the legitimacy of spinal manipulation and refused to use drug treatments.
D)fought against merger with allopathic medicine.
E)sued the AMA for job discrimination.
Q4) How have attitudes toward women and femininity affected the social position of nursing as an occupation, historically and currently? How do those attitudes shape the experiences of male and female nurses today?
Page 14
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Chapter 13: Issues in Bioethics
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27 Verified Questions
27 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/41877
Sample Questions
Q1) Researchers in the Willowbrook study obtained
A)fully voluntary consent from the parents of their subjects.
B)fully informed consent from the parents of their subjects.
C)consent from the parents of their subjects, but that consent was neither informed nor voluntary.
D)no consent of any sort from the parents of their subjects.
E)consent from their subjects directly.
Q2) Which of the following statements is true?
A)The AMA first adopted a code of ethics in 1970.
B)The public responded with horror to news of Dr. Sims' experiments on slave women.
C)The Nazi philosophy was grounded in part in eugenics.
D)The eugenics movement never gained a foothold in the United States.
E)From the start, most German doctors opposed the Nazis.
Q3) Is it ethical for the federal government to pay the costs of kidney dialysis for all patients, regardless of age or income, as it now does, but not to pay the costs of other illnesses? Which would be more reasonable and more feasible: extending benefits to those who have other illnesses or withdrawing them from those who need kidney dialysis?
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