A traditional view of etiology offers a less inclusive model and does not include social experience as a necessary factor in the cause of a disease or illness, both chronic and acute.
There is an irresponsibility in traditional healthcare that disregards the social factors that cause illness and socioeconomic placements within society...
"Arguments against the specification of studying social determinants of health include ones that introduce the idea that social sciences like sociology do not rely on a human biology model of scientific background and is not suited to enhance the field of epidemiology or social science."(Berkman & Kawachi, 2000)
Arguably in the history of scientific research, methods that include elements of social orginization changes into interventions that have been the most successful. Remaining aware of the social factors that influence health can answer questions that were previously unanswerable.
In the changing landscape of the population, the methods in which the population is studied should change as well.
- For example; in many cases, one demographic may be unjustly targeted by policy changes. By incorporating social factors and a comprehensive understanding of the policy changes and interventions, there can be modifications made that reflect positively on the targeted demographic.
- Moving toward targeting behaviors and underlying problems can have a more positive and lasting effect than targeting people and/or populations.
Within the diagnosis, the etiology and/or biological factors should be assessed so that they can be addressed.
A social factor could influence the diagnosis and treatment of a specific illness or disease. By including the psychosocial approach to acknowledging the socially defined structures and an individuals (or populations) place within that structure, there will be a more comprehensive idea of the unacknowledged factors that influence health and socioeconomic placement within society.
-Yogabrofessor
Berkman, L. F., & Kawachi, I. (2000). Social epidemiology. Oxford University Press.
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