Blog2

This blog is to briefly introduce the biomedicalization theory and a case study to apply the theory.

Medicalization is well established biomedicine in US after WWII, (Starr 1982), it was regarded as the first social transformation of American medicine. Biomedicalization theory was constituted by Clark and colleagues (2012), argued that it is the second social transformation of American medicine. Clark et al (2010) seminal book Biomedicalization shows that the reliance on technoscientific of biomedicine, information science, computer, biomedical science has been transformed its framework, which places health, illness, life more relies on high technoscientific biomedicine, information science, risk surveillance. Compare with the medicalization, which centred ‘control over’ life, while biomedicalization centred ‘live the life’, ‘enhancement’ of human life (Clark et al., 2012). The processes of the biomedicalization arguable is unevenly stratified.

The case study on cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the US by Shim (2010) has fleshed out  the utilizing Biomedicalization theory to understand risk factors of CVD in the various interrelated ways . First, the conceptualised class,  race and gender, and the intersections of these are biomedical concerns of CVD and needed the interventions. Second, the sociocultural views of the bodies and their health are different by laypeople and epidemiologists. In term of perceived causal and risk factors of the disease by laypeople and the epidemiologists are different. The patients of CVD have expressed that their social positions and everyday life are resulted in the structural health inequality, which rooted in their risk of cardiovascular disease. The participants attest that differential distribution of economic and educational opportunities, and it is structured and powerfully embedded  in American society. The disadvantage of economic conditions, discrimination are the emotional and physical stressor, they have desire to overcome and resist the stress and suppression.

On the other hand, the epidemiologists reveals stratified biomedicalization on CVD is different. For instance, Shim summarised as inclusion, in the ways that essentialising the individuals within the ethical group and their behaviours, relatively lacking of attention on group level of the causes. By selectively focus within the race or cultural group, epidemiologists avoid the structural sources of health inequalities. The consequence is that the logic on framing the problem on behaviours, thus its effects on the prevention discourse stratified related to cultural racialised, but lack of focus on social structural forces, which continue to sustain.

Next blog will illustrate another case on the different light on operationalization of research when considering the social positions of participants and researchers.

Reference

Clarke, A.E., Mamo, L., Fosket, J.R. and Fish-man, J.R. (2010) Biomedicalization: Technoscience, Health, and Illness in the U.S. Durham: Duke University Press

Shim, J. K., (2010) The Stratified Biomedicalization of Heart Disease: Expert and Lay Perspectives on acial and Class Inequality, in Clarke, A.E., Mamo, L., Fosket, J.R. and Fish-man, J.R. (2010Biomedicalization: Technoscience, Health, and Illness in the U.S. Durham: Duke University Press.

week 3 bolg / Ellen Catterall / Health, bodies and embodiment (2023-2024)[SEM2] by is licensed under a