Deck 3: The Social Distribution of Illness in the United States

Question 1

Because of gender convergence,

A) more men now take estrogen.
B) men's and women's health risks are becoming more similar.
C) women now have higher rates of disability.
D) women have become biologically weaker.
E) men increasingly refuse to seek health care when ill.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Exposure to environmental pollution is most highly correlated with which of the following factors?

A) social class
B) income
C) race
D) education
E) gender

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Compared to Anglo Americans, Native Americans are more likely to die from

A) cancer.
B) heart disease.
C) alcohol-related causes.
D) AIDS.
E) strokes.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

According to your textbook,

A) all cultures consider intersex a frightening and abnormal condition.
B) intersex babies grow up to enjoy better psychological health if they receive sex assignment surgery.
C) doctors' decisions about sex assignment for intersex babies reflect their cultural assumptions about gender.
D) an increasing number of doctors believe that sex assignment surgery for intersex babies should be performed as early as possible.
E) sex reassignment surgery does not affect individuals' ability to enjoy sexuality as adults.

Question 5

Compared to earlier in this century, the American population now has a

A) higher percentage of elderly persons.
B) lower percentage of elderly persons.
C) higher rate of acute illnesses.
D) lower rate of prostate cancer.
E) higher rate of infant mortality.

Question 6

African Americans with kidney disease are more likely to die than whites with the disease because

A) fewer African Americans are referred to transplant programs.
B) drugs developed for white Americans don't work as well on African Americans.
C) African Americans are less likely to want treatment.
D) for genetic reasons, African Americans have naturally weaker kidneys.
E) African Americans don't push hard enough to get treatment.

Question 7

Which of the following is true?

A) The American population is steadily growing older.
B) In the future it should be easier to find young people who will care for the elderly.
C) Infant mortality is now as high as it was in 1930.
D) Postneonatal paralysis is a major problem for the elderly.
E) Elderly women experience disability less often than do elderly men.

Question 8

Fundamental-cause theory argues that

A) illness fundamentally causes poverty.
B) poor people are less healthy than others in the United States but not Europe.
C) smallpox results from biological causes.
D) across societies, those with the fewest resources are most likely to fall ill.
E) socialism is fundamental to social change.

Question 9

Men are most likely to batter their wives if they

A) believe their power within the family is threatened.
B) wish their wives would obtain paid employment.
C) have more than four children.
D) hold professional jobs.
E) have college degrees.

Question 10

Compared to lower-income persons, upper-income persons have

A) lower rates of illnesses at all ages.
B) higher rates of illnesses at all ages.
C) higher rates of heart disease.
D) higher rates of arthritis.
E) none of the above

Question 11

The relationship between social class and health in part can be explained by

A) the kinds of work available to poor persons.
B) the greater environmental hazards in poor neighborhoods.
C) the housing available to poor persons.
D) all of the above
E) a and b only

Question 12

The idea that illness leads to poverty more often than poverty leads to illness is known as

A) epidemiological theory.
B) sick role theory.
C) social class theory.
D) social drift theory.
E) fundamental-cause theory.

Question 13

Which of the following is true?

A) Current data suggests that Hispanic Americans die younger than do white non-Hispanics.
B) Hispanic Americans are less likely than white non-Hispanics to have health insurance.
C) On average, immigrants from Central America are in as good health as immigrants from Mexico.
D) Infant mortality is considerably higher among Hispanic Americans than among white non-Hispanics.
E) Hispanic Americans are paradoxically vulnerable to malaria.

Question 14

High rates of postneonatal infant mortality generally reflect

A) poverty, malnutrition, and poor living conditions.
B) birth defects.
C) high rates of teenage pregnancy.
D) genetic defects.
E) biological differences between races.

Question 15

Paying for health care for the elderly will likely become more difficult in coming years because of

A) declining rates of infant mortality.
B) social class differences between whites and African Americans.
C) the Hispanic paradox.
D) the feminization of aging.
E) internal colonization.

Question 16

Research suggests that

A) although women complain about illness more often than men, they actually experience fewer illnesses.
B) men's higher mortality rate in part reflects their traditional gender role.
C) at each age, women have higher rates of fatal illnesses.
D) women are biologically weaker than men.
E) men seek health care more often than women.

Question 17

Corporate decisions to locate polluting industries in minority neighborhoods are referred to as

A) environmental justice.
B) environmental racism.
C) internal socialization.
D) mainstreaming.
E) downsizing.

Question 18

Which of the following is true?

A) White women live longer than white men, but African-American men live longer than African-American women.
B) African-American women live longer than African-American men, but white men live longer than white women.
C) Among both African Americans and whites, men live longer than women.
D) The same diseases are the most common causes of death among both men and women.
E) At each age, men have higher levels than women of nonfatal chronic diseases.

Question 19

Women have lower rates of heart disease in part because their bodies produce more estrogen than do men's bodies. This is an example of

A) the feminization of aging.
B) the feminine mystique.
C) sex differences.
D) gender differences.
E) both sex and gender differences.

Question 20

The infant mortality rate among African Americans

A) is similar to the rate among whites.
B) is similar to the rate among Western Europeans.
C) is higher than among whites primarily due to biological differences.
D) primarily reflects high rates of drug use.
E) is higher than among whites even if we look only at the middle and upper classes.

Question 21

Ethnicity affects individuals' health in many different ways. Compare the effect of ethnicity on health for two ethnic groups (of your choice), summarizing and explaining the similarities and differences between them.

Question 22

Imagine that you are a woman who is a recent immigrant and who works in a factory. Identify three factors that might put you and your family at risk for poor health.

Question 23

Should woman-battering be regarded by doctors as a health problem? Why or why not?

Question 24

You have one kidney available that biologically matches all the following people. The one who receives the kidney will gain a longer life and better quality of life; the rest will die soon. Which one would you give it to? How would you justify your decision? What moral and social values or principles underlie your decision?
Jill, 23 years old, white, is a former drug addict and single mother. She was taking classes at a community college, but had to quit to go on dialysis. She is now on welfare, with Medicaid paying all her medical expenses.
John, 55 years old, white, married with no children. He is a successful business executive who owns his own company. He has partial health insurance and will probably go bankrupt soon because of medical bills.
Bob, 30 years old, HIV-infected, white, architect. He has no health insurance. Single, no children.
David, 25 years old, single with no children, African-American. He is trying to obtain a graduate degree in history while coping with physical problems caused by kidney failure. He has no health insurance.       
Martha, 40 years old, homemaker and mother of two, African-American, married to a police officer. Her insurance will pay all costs.

Question 25

Intimate partner violence

A) threatens men's lives as often as it threatens women's lives.
B) serves as a form of social control, according to your textbook.
C) serves as a form of social network, according to your textbook.
D) is not against the law.
E) is most often reported by Asian American women.