1. What is the difference between morbidity and mortality and between incidence and prevalence?
2. What factors have caused the recent increases in infectious diseases?
3. How is globalization affecting rates of disease?
4. How have the “manufacturers of illness” increased deaths caused by tobacco? By alcohol? By toxic agents? By diet?
5. How have social forces and political decisions increased deaths caused by sexual behavior? By illegal drugs?
6. What system-level factors help to explain medical errors? How does medical culture keep doctors from identifying medical errors?
7. Think of someone you know who smokes or engages in another unhealthy behavior. Use the health belief model to explain what would have to change for him or her to change this behavior. Then use health lifestyle theory to explain why you do or don’t have a generally healthy lifestyle.
8. What are the benefits of the modern health project? What problems does the health project cause for those who adopt it? For those who don’t?
9. How does social stress affect health? How do gender, race, and class affect average levels of social stress?
10. How can social networks reduce individuals’ health risks? How can they increase those risks?