10 Health and Health Care Questions
Joyce Baptist and Elizabeth B. Pearce
As you read this chapter, consider the following questions:
- Reflect on how socially constructed ideas—such as norms around gender, race, or body image—shape our understanding of health and influence health outcomes. Can you think of an example from your own experience or observation?
- Consider the value of understanding health disparities related to social characteristics like race, gender, and socioeconomic status. How might this awareness influence your approach to health care or public policy?
- Explore why individuals with mental illness or substance use disorders often face barriers to receiving medical care and support. What social attitudes or systemic issues contribute to this gap?
- Think about the challenges families face in maintaining basic health practices like sleep, exercise, and nutrition. What structural or environmental factors make it harder for some families to stay healthy?
- Reflect on the difference between a health care system and health insurance. How do these concepts affect access to care, and what role do they play in shaping health outcomes?
- Consider how family structure—such as single-parent households, multigenerational families, or chosen families—can influence access to health insurance and medical care. How does this show up in your community or personal experience?
- Explore how geography and income level intersect to affect access to health care. How might living in a rural area or having a low income limit someone’s health options?
- Reflect on the role capitalism plays in the opioid epidemic. How do profit motives, pharmaceutical marketing, and health care access contribute to this public health crisis?
- Consider the question: Is health a human right? What does this mean to you, and how does it relate to current debates about health care access and equity?
