Social Constructionism and Usefulness In Public Health Case Study

Introduction: Social Constructionism: Impact on Public Health Perspectives

Social constructionism is a collective idea and view as compared to objective truths that affect reality. This approach shows that health ideas are socially produced and shaped. It is caused by cultural and economic effects in the context of public health. This study aims to explore the relevance of social constructionism in public health. It is by viewing the ways in which social views influence health treatments and definitions. The goal of the study is to better know how social constructionism shapes public health. The study aims to develop tactics that support good and successful public health works by better aligning with different views.

Social Constructionism Understanding

Meaning

The theoretical structure of social constructionism shows the idea of objective and true facts. It holds total judgements and knowledge of society that is formed. It claims that knowledge of different concepts is socially built rather than taken, especially in the field of health. This shows that cultural norms, values, and beliefs influence how people view health and sickness. For example, diseases such as cancer might be interpreted symbolically (Studysmarter.co.uk, 2023). They are seen as harmful or wicked, in addition to being seen via a medical lens. Also, the meanings associated with diseases such as obesity, which are wrongly judged as sinful, have varying effects on people and shape public reactions.

The average life expectancy at birth in the United Kingdom, a country that had a population of more than 67 million by 2021, is 80.4 years (Statista.com, 2023). It shows the complex ways in which views of health and sickness are influenced by social constructionism.

Language and Interaction

According to social constructionism, language and relations with others have a social construction role (King et al. 2019). It is how people view health and sickness rather than being mainly affected by objective truths. Stated differently, it suggests that social norms and interactions with others shape the perceptions of what is right and what is not. About 91.1 percent of people in England and Wales speak in English. In the Welsh as of 2021, a small decline from 2011 has been seen (Statista.com, 2023). This change in language over time is a result of larger cultural change. That shapes the construction of meaning and may have worldwide effects on public health (La Placa and Morgan, 2023). The total development of concepts and meanings related to well-being are mainly shaped by social and cultural factors (White, 2016). It is known as the social constructionism of health and sickness. It develops a more complex picture of the field of public health. It is by putting light on how language and interaction influence the views of health.

Compare to Positivism

Unlike positivism, social constructionism holds ideas such as health and sickness. These are socially produced rather than mainly based on objective things (King-Dejardin, 2019). Social constructionism stresses how social interactions and ideas shape views. Whereas positivism focuses on objective and universal facts. Simply, social constructionism shows the shared ideas and cultural background. It shapes the view of what is real or true. For instance, the social construction of health and sickness understands that these terms have cultural and societal views and are not greatly known (Warwick Booth et al. 2021). On the other hand, positivism is based on a more objective and scientific idea and views universal truths (Holtz and Oda?, 2020). These are not affected by personal experiences and judgements. The contrast shows attention to how positivism, which seeks universal and quantifiable facts, is objective. whereas social constructionism is subjective, with reality being controlled by natural views.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Constructionism in Health and Illness

Advantages

There are several benefits to adopting social constructionism when discussing health and sickness. First of all, it views that cultural interactions and ideas have impacted the view of health, which is not universal. This thing enables a better strategy by taking into account various cultural things on well-being. For example, the survey of 8000 people in 2023 shows some needs of health planning (Digital.nhs.uk, 2023). The main character of health is further shown by social constructionism. It shows the importance of personal experiences and views. It also highlights how language and social conventions influence how people perceive their health, which helps to realise the variety of health situations in a better way.

Well-being is a broad concept that includes social, mental, and physical aspects (Annandale, 2014). Since social constructionism recognises that well-being is a socially produced idea rather than a fixed one, it is especially useful in understanding well-being. It accepts that depending on their cultural, sociological, and personal settings, people and communities may define wellbeing in different ways (Barry and Yuill, 2020). In contrast to more inflexible theoretical frameworks, this enables a more thorough and customised knowledge of the elements of well-being.

The influence of common factors on health in England is mostly captured by the Adult Mental Morbidity Survey or APMS. It is a representation of the National Study of Health and Wellbeing. The 8,000 persons who participated in the survey in 2023 provided insightful information for national and state health planning (Digital.nhs.uk, 2023). Knowing that health spending in the UK reached 25.3 billion pounds in 2022 highlights the need for broad methods (Statista.com, 2023). The methods, such as social constructionism, to successfully influence health policies and services.

Disadvantages

Social constructionism has drawbacks, especially when it comes to tackling the gender gap, even while it offers insightful information on health and sickness. It is also associated with medical sociology (Monaghan and Gabe, 2022). Differences can come from the emphasis on societal views, which might support gender stereotypes (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2009). For example, cultural expectations around gender roles impact the frequency of mental illness at work, which costs the UK economy between 74 and 99 billion euros yearly (Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2023). Furthermore, the impact of air pollution on lifespan affects those in less wealthy regions, with 28,000-36,000 deaths annually in the UK, creating health disparity (Gov.uk, 2023). The disadvantage of social constructionism is that it may fail to take into account objective biological elements. These are important when trying to comprehend how these affect human health.

For public health professionals to understand the health of both men and women, feminist thought is essential (Bartley, 2016). Through questioning established gender roles, feminism promotes a more thorough examination. For example, it reveals differences in the effects of environmental concerns like mental health states that are particular to gender (Conrad, 2023). To comprehend the financial consequences of mental illness at work, it is essential to examine how society's expectations affect mental health. Even with these insightful additions, the overall drawback of depending only on social constructionism is that it may overlook important, specific health factors. It can cause actions to be less exact and make problems such as the rising incidence of dementia with ageing: 2% for 65–69 years, 18% for 85–89 years harder to understand (Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2023). Effective public health initiatives and a good knowledge of health depend on creating a balance between biological facts and social constructionism.

Figure 1: Annual expenditure on health in the UK

Identification of Usefulness

The Action identification theory explains the thoughts of people using the 3 3-principle system (Thompson et al. 2023). Social constructionism emphasises the impact of cultural ideas, it is helpful in understanding health and sickness (Coppleton and Weiss, 2023). It recognises that cultural and social factors can have an impact on health and that biology is not the only determinant. Social constructionism permits a more complex view of health, taking into account the subjective character of disease experiences. For example, according to a report, mental illness at work costs the UK economy between 74 and 99 billion euros annually (Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2023). Social constructionism may be used to understand how social norms play a role in this.

Yet, there are disadvantages to depending just on social constructionism. It could ignore important biological aspects that are necessary for health therapies. Given that air pollution is a major cause of 28,000–36,000 fatalities per year in the UK (Gov. UK, 2023). It is critical to take objective, known health indicators into account.

Analysing the disparity between genders in mental health shows both sides (Nettleton, 2020). Men may be deterred from seeking help by societal constructs of masculinity. It shows the value of social constructionism. However, this method could miss the biological factors affecting mental health.

To understand health and illness, one has to find the correct balance between socially created ideas and objective health things. An effective plan considers both real health data and lifestyle. It is to create full and successful public health initiatives. Even though social constructionism gives a view on how culture affects health.

Conclusion

Thus, it can be concluded that social constructionism provides different information. The information is on how cultural ideas affect health. It gives a more complex understanding. Depending only on it might miss important biological aspects affecting treatments. A thorough method must balance clear health data and socially created opinions. The gender gap in mental health indicates the importance of knowing both objective data and cultural impacts. Reaching this balance makes sure that public health strategies are useful. It covers the careful connection between health risks and cultural norms.

References

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