Description
An application of the perspectives, conceptualizations, theories, and methodologies of sociology to phenomena having to do with human health and illness. Health and disease are placed in a social, cultural, and behavioral context. Topics to be examined include the effects of social factors such as age, sex, race, and social class on health and illness; differential access to health care services among subgroups of the US population, including Hispanics, Blacks, Native Americans, and the elderly; strains in the organization and delivery of health care in the US; a cross-cultural overview of the US health care system; government and private sector involvement in the delivery of health services in the US.