Health | AQA A-Level Sociology (7192)
Health
- 56 questions
- 5 subtopics
- Paper 2: Topics in Sociology, two of eight
- Paper 2
Health is one of the optional topics on Paper 2.
It treats health, illness and disability as socially constructed, then works through the unequal distribution of health chances, access to care, mental illness, and the power of medicine.
Sample questions from Health
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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The social construction of health and models of illness
What does the social construction of the body refer to?
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It refers to how bodily ideals, norms and practices are shaped by culture, gender expectations, media and social institutions rather than being purely natural. -
The social construction of health and models of illness
What role does the biomedical model assign to medical professionals?
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It emphasises medical professional authority in diagnosing and treating illness. -
Class and gender inequalities in health
What do artefact explanations suggest about class differences in health?
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That they are a statistical illusion produced by the way class and health are measured. -
Class and gender inequalities in health
How does risk-taking behaviour contribute to gender differences in health?
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Men are more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviours that increase their chances of injury, accidents and early death. -
Ethnic and regional inequality, and access to health care
How might cultural factors explain ethnic differences in health?
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Different dietary practices, attitudes to health and illness, and patterns of healthcare use may vary between ethnic groups. -
Ethnic and regional inequality, and access to health care
What is the inverse care law?
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It states that those who most need healthcare are least likely to receive it, while those with least need receive the most. -
Mental illness and the power of the medical profession
What are the two main explanations for class differences in mental illness?
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Social causation (stress of deprivation causes mental illness) and social selection (mental illness causes downward mobility). -
Mental illness and the power of the medical profession
What is social iatrogenesis according to Illich?
Show the answer
The way medicine creates dependency on medical professionals and undermines people's ability to cope with illness independently.
The 5 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| The social construction of health and models of illness | The biomedical and social models, and the distinction between impairment and disability. | 10 |
| Class and gender inequalities in health | The material, cultural, artefact and social selection explanations, and the gender pattern of morbidity and mortality. | 10 |
| Ethnic and regional inequality, and access to health care | Ethnic and regional health patterns, the inverse care law, and the barriers different groups face. | 11 |
| Mental illness and the power of the medical profession | The social construction of mental illness, labelling theory, medicalisation, and Illich on iatrogenesis. | 14 |
| The sick role and the globalised health industry | Parsons' sick role and its critics, pharmaceutical power, medical tourism, and the migration of health workers. | 11 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
AQA A-Level Sociology Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,116 questions with their answers.