Social sciences in community medicine

The social sciences in community medicine discuss the following predisposing factors which affect health by different ways.

        i.            Current circumstances:

Income, family life, family crises, employment etc

     ii.            Individual predisposing factors:

Accidents, chronic diseases (polio incidence), chronic disability, inheritance incidences, childhood nutrition

   iii.            Ecological predisposing factors:

The environmental factors including the community values, life styles etc

   iv.            Opportunities and situation:

a.       Availability of health services

b.      Pathogen avoidness

c.       Education status

d.      Drugs availability

The factors which affect the predisposing factors of current circumstances and individual predisposing factors are given below.

Ø  Political status:

Ø  Demographic factors

Ø  Economic factors

Ø  Religious factors

Ø  Education status etc

The factors which affect the ecological predisposing factors and opportunities are given as following.

ü  Communication

ü  Migration

ü  Urbanization

ü  Life expectancy

ü  Fertility (marriage partner)

Role of women (dominating role)

Social sciences:

The branches of sciences that studies society and the relationship of individual within the society are called social sciences.

v Economics:

Economics is a social science that analyzes the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services.

The word economics is derived from Greek Oikonomia (means laws or customs for household administration)

Economics explain how economics work and how economical agents interact. Economics analysis can be applied throughout the society such as in the family, in health, politics, religion, business, finance, crime and education.

It plays a key role in health.

v Anthropology:

Anthrop means man and logy means knowledge or study

The study of social, physical and cultural history of man is called anthropology.

It is concerned with human in any society with all dimension of humanity.

Types of anthropology

        i.            Physical anthropology:

The study of human evolution, growth, inheritance and human decay is called physical anthropology. It is sometimes also called as biological anthropology.

     ii.            Social anthropology:

The study of development of various types of social life is called social anthropology.

   iii.            Cultural anthropology:

The study of total way of life including ways of thinking, feeling and action in the human culture is called cultural anthropology.

    iv.            Medical anthropology:

The study of cultural components in the way of etiology of health and disease is called medical anthropology.

      v.            Linguistic anthropology:

The study of variation in languages across time and space is called linguistic anthropology.

v Political science:

The system of laws and institutions which constitute the government of the society is called political science.

Posted in: Community Medicine; Miscellaneous