Sociology of Health

Contents: Preface. 1. Sociology of health: definition, emergence and phases. 2. Social medicine and community health. 3. Sociological perspectives on health. 4. Epidemiology and social epidemiology. 5. Illness and sickness. 6. Disease : types agents cost and prevention. 7. Medicalization and demedicalization. 8. Systems of medicine and medical pluralism in India. 9. Widening dimensions of health and determinants of health. 10. Health indictors in India. 11. Occupational health. 12. Nutrition food and water. 13. Sanitation and environment. 14. Public health, health structure and health programmes. 15. Health policies and planning and India. 16. Inequality, inequity and dehealthism in health. Bibliography. Index.

The 1978 Alma Ata Declaration has made health for all a universal goal. However, the health goals of the vulnerable and marginalized groups are largely unmet in India. Despite the launch of MDGs at the global level and several health reforms at the national level, the health outcomes are far away from being satisfactory. The out-of-pocket expenditure on medical care is perhaps the biggest cause of pauperization of Indian population.

This book presents the ground realities of health illness and disease in India. It extensively uses the conflict functional interactionist and post-structuralist perspectives to explore the nuances and subtleties surrounding disease and health care in India at different levels. It covers issues like development of sociology of health, social medicine and community health, social epidemiology, types and agents of disease, medicalization and demedicalization, medical pluralism, determinants and indicators of health, occupational health, nutrition food and water, sanitation and environment health policies and programmes and inequality inequity and dehealthism in health. (jacket)