Health and Well-Being

Members of MSU's Department of Sociology study the social organization of health care including such topics as social determinants (e.g. race, ethnicity, income and education) of access to health care, and the structure of health professions. We explore many aspects of the social psychology of health (i.e., micro-level health related attitudes and behaviors) by studying such topics as alcohol consumption, drug use, doctor-patient communication, mental health, sociology of the body, attitudes towards food safety, the origins and consequences of stress, responsibility relationships in health and medicine. We also study social epidemiology (including social/environmental determinants of lead poisoning), the demography of aging and intimate partner violence.

We have five graduate courses that emphasize Health and Well-Being . They are Social Organization of Health and Medicine [Soc 873], Social Psychology of Health Care [Soc 872], Social Epidemiology [Soc 977], Demography and Public Health [Soc 851] and The Political Economy of Women's Health [Soc 970].

Several other graduate courses are relevant for those who emphasize the Social Psychology of Health: Social Structure and the Individual [Soc 976], Social Attitudes [Soc 974] and Theories of Social Psychology [Soc 870]. Other courses relevant to Health and Well-Being are Techniques of Population Analysis [Soc 954] and Population, Food and Rural Development [Soc 850].

How does Health and Well-Being relate to other University Initiatives and strengths?

The sub-theme of Health and Well-Being positions the department to participate in many research and teaching programs in the College, university and wider community.

First, many faculty in the medical schools and many professionals working in off-campus medical and public health agencies see social science as relevant to their work and seek collaborations with social scientists. On campus faculty in the Center for Ethics and Humanities (renamed the Program in Bioethics, Humanities and Society), are concerned with doctor-patient communication and decision making especially regarding risky procedures and end of life decisions. They are also concerned with the policy implications of greater genetic information. Off-campus stakeholders include the Michigan Public Health Institute the Michigan Department of Community Health, and the Life Sciences Corridor, which funds health and aging research and development initiatives to support basic and applied research in health related areas. Faculty in the Sociology Department have engaged in past collaboration with faculty from the medical and biomedical areas and there is the potential for future collaborative research as well.

The second is the National Food Safety and Toxicology Center , which includes risk analysis involving the identification, assessment, management and communication of risk, much of it from toxic substances in the environment. Sociology faculty are already involved in the center and there are additional opportunities for both research and graduate and post-doctoral training.

Third is the Environmental Science and Policy Program, headed by sociologist Tom Dietz. Environmental health is an important emerging area and several Sociology department faculty are involved in a study of lead in the environment. In this study they are using demographic and epidemiological methods. In addition, concerns with environmental risk also dovetail naturally with concerns about risk from medical procedures.

Fourth is the renovated Urban Studies program. Urban populations at least in the United States often have especially high concentrations of racial/ethnic minorities and low income people. Since such groups tend to have poorer health and less access to medical care, and since AIDS rates also appear to be higher in cities, the study of health issues will fit well with such an Urban Studies Program. The health of minority group members has been studied by members of our department.

Fifth, the Center for Advanced Study of International Development (CASID), the Office of Women in International Development (WID), and the Institute for International Health (IIH) are other units with which sociology faculty are integrated. While the focus of CASID is not limited to health, the relationship between health status and economic development falls within its purview. Similarly, WID recognizes research pertaining to how the health of women affects the health of their children and their ability to work. IIH focuses on global health issues involving health risks and infectious and chronic diseases and their mitigation.

Finally, Health and Well-Being has links to social epidemiology and demography. The Department of Epidemiology houses several sociologically trained people. One sociology department faculty member teaches a course on social epidemiology which is taken by students in epidemiology, and another teaches and does research on the social demography of health.

Overlaps with other sub-themes in the Sociology Department

Our concern with social determinants (e.g. race. ethnicity, income and education) of access to health care) complements the concerns of the sub-theme of Cities Inequalities and Solidarities. Our research on social/environmental determinants of lead poisoning, and concerns with medical risk contributes to the sub-theme of Environment, Science and Technology. Agriculture and Food also overlaps with the concerns of this area as the public is increasingly concerned about eating food which is not only free from toxins, but which is also part of a healthy lifestyle.