Reflective Journal 1

Erin Mullin

An issue thats caught my attention throughout this topic is Wellness and Well-being. The reason
for this being that up until I read this chapter, I considered wellness and well-being to be the same
thing which Germov mentions to be a common misinterpretation (Germov, 2014 p.41).
Germov states well-being, wellness, and happiness are often considered to be personal issues
that are reliant on subjective report and how its pretty much impossible to tell others how to be
happy (Germov, 2014 p.41). I completely agree with this statement when reflecting back to a few
years ago when I suffered from an eating disorder because no matter what anyone told me, I just
couldnt achieve happiness with my body and how I looked. I could see how frustrating it was to
everyone else seeing me so unhappy and really did try their ideas but it didnt work
. It was something I would have to do at my own pace, slowly and in my own time. A year later
when I finally overcame this tough time, I was completely aware that I was finally experiencing
happiness, well-being and wellness on a personal level (Germov, 2014 p.42). I understand now
that when considering my wellness and well-being whilst recovering from my eating disorder that
my wellness was becoming extremely good and positive whereas my well-being still remained
poor as I still needed to gain more weight to be considered healthy for my age.
The biopsychosocial model of health is another factor thats contributed to part of my changing
understanding of health as I now know that in this framework, interactions between biological,
psychological and social factors determine the cause, manifestation, and outcome of wellness and
disease (The Biopsychosocial Model of Health and Illness, 2016). I believe that the media
portrays wellness and well-being in such an unrealistic way that its part of the reason myself and
others (judging by our classroom discussion) suffer from these mental illnesses. This would then
lead to social factors becoming a negative factor in the biopsychosocial model of health and
become the cause of a poor wellness and well-being.
In the workshop we watched an extremely eye opening video on YouTube called The Story of
Stuff by the Story of Stuff Project. The video made me consider just how many toxic chemicals are
being used on and exposed to our bodies from such a young age. It never occurred to me to
check the ingredient list on the products I buy and use daily. I was horrified to find out that even
my face wash, shampoo and moisturiser could contain potentially harmful chemicals. I assumed
that if it were safe to sell then it must be safe to use but as shown and explained in the video,
thats not the case. Corporations add these harmful ingredients in order to save money and make
a profit ("The Biopsychosocial Model of Health and Illness", 2016). Personally, Im still shocked at
how money is more important these corporations than our own health. That video has been part of
my changing understanding of health as I am now aware of how these corporations work and how
harmful some of these chemicals can truly be to not only our health but our childrens too. Ever
since the video, Ive made sure to look before I buy, warn others and do my research.

References
Germov, J. (ed.) (2014) Second Opinion An Introduction to Health Sociology 5th. edn. South
Melbourne: Oxford Uni. Press
Story of Stuff (2007, OFFICIAL Version). (2009). YouTube. Retrieved 16 March 2016, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM
The Biopsychosocial Model of Health and Illness. (2016). Boundless.com. Retrieved 25 March
2016, from https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychologytextbook/stress-and-health-psychology-17/introduction-to-health-psychology-85/thebiopsychosocial-model-of-health-and-illness-326-12861/ Source: Boundless. The
Biopsychosocial Model of Health and Illness. Boundless Psychology. Boundless, 08 Jan.
2016. Retrieved 25 Mar. 2016 from
https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-textbook/stress-andhealth-psychology-17/introduction-to-health-psychology-85/the-biopsychosocial-model-ofhealth-and-illness-326-12861/

Reflective Journal 2

Erin Mullin

The topics that have caught my attention are; Food Health & Social Appetite, Gendered Health
and Class and Health as I can relate to them on a personal level and understand the harsh
consequences that the implications of these topics have based on the readings, workshops and
from peer comments.
In considering Food Health & Social Appetite as a topic, it was the obesity myth debate thats
contributed to part of my changing understanding of health. Germov states the public hysteria
about obesity is based on our hatred of a body type that fails to conform to an aesthetic ideal,
rather than a desire for health. Health Authorities continue to advocate for weight loss in the
obese while lacking an effective formula for achieving this loss and have failed to even prove that
such weight loss will confer health benefits (Germov, 2014, p.217). Reading this statement, it
occurred to me how much this topic links in to what I had written previously about the
biopsychosocial model of health and how the media portrays wellness and wellbeing in such an
unrealistic way. This then leads to social factors becoming a negative factor in the biopsychosocial
model of health and become the cause of a poor wellness and well-being which can relate to the
obesity myth debate as the quote talks about how people only want to lose weight in order to look
good rather than to be healthy. During the weekly workshop discussed why people would feel this
way and not care if theyre not healthy as long as they looked a particular way. The majority of my
class admitted that they too felt this way and admitted that it was due to unrealistic standards set
by the media.
The unrealistic body standards that I personally believed (as well as the class) were that; men
should have big muscles and abs whereas women should have a flat stomach and be thin with no
cellulite or stretch marks. My peers discussed how unrealistic body images for men and women
didnt phase them which I found hard to believe and was very envious. A male from my class even
mentioned how its always the famous peoples bodies being shown in the media that they pretty
much get paid to have. I found that to be a very important point as it helped me to see just how
unrealistic they are and that I too, need to focus on being a healthy weight rather than just to have
a body that looks good. After further research I found that 47% and 24% of healthy weight women
and men believed they were overweight based on surveys taken by adults from an Australian
community with one of the reasons being because of the influence of the media (Australians body
image distorted Eating Disorders and Obesity, 2013).
An interesting fact learnt from studying Food, Health & Social Appetite was finding out just how
many industries benefit from the rise in obesity. These being; clothing stores, fast food chains,
gyms, health food shops, health authorities and the role of dieting and pharmaceutical industries.
However, the part I found interesting was when my teacher asked me to list the industries that
suffer as obesity levels rise and I simply couldnt. The sad truth is our economy benefits from
people getting fatter, which I find sickeningly true. This is another factor thats contributed to part of
my changing understanding of health as I am now aware of how the economy in which we live in
thrives off people gaining weight, I can use this awareness to not fall victim to obesity in the future
and realising this has made me want to put a stop to this in the future by possibly creating my own
business that benefits from people losing weight and create awareness, helping others.
Health inequality refers to the different health statuses associated with various social groups,
particularly in terms of class, gender, age, ethnicity, and indigeneity (Germov, 2014, p.95). My
reasoning for selecting this statement is to show the link between the gendered health topic with
the class and health topic. It saddens me to think how its often the lack of time and resources
available to those who are considered underprivileged that prevents them from living a healthy,
happy lifestyle. I believe that the Australian taxation system needs to be reviewed and to enable
access to healthier foods, active recreation and to increase the taxes on unhealthy foods as this
may promote fast food chains and supplies to change their recipes (minimise the amount of salt,

fat and sugar content) (AUSTRALIA: THE HEALTHIEST COUNTRY BY 2020, 2009). When
talking about fast-food Germov states The food is typically energy dense (that is, it contains a high
amount of kilojoules or calories for each gram of product) and high in fat, which is a concentrated
form of energy (Germov, 2014, p.212) thus supporting my argument to renew the Australian
taxation system.
Femininity and masculinity are complex sources of risks and benefits, simultaneously- but
differently- constraining and empowering (Germov, 2014 p.139). This statement was clearly
outlined in the topic Gender and Health and would have to be one of my favourite topics. My
reasoning for this is based not only on the intriguing reading but, primarily because of the
stereotypical lists we made in the workshop for characteristics of males and females. These lists
then caused heated debate from class members who reiterated how they feel about these
stereotypical characterisations. A comment that I can relate to on a personal level would have to
be how women are seen to be more child-orientated while men are the ones that are considered
to be career orientated. I find this exceptionally offensive yet sadly could relate to it as ever since I
was little I was the one who was made to look after the younger cousins at family functions as I
was the eldest girl whereas my cousin who is a male never had to despite being two years older
than myself. This can be backed up by Harvard Business review after they undertook a survey
which revealed that 28% of Gen X an 44% of Baby Boom women had at some point taken a
break of more than six months to care for children, compared with only 2% of men across those
two generations (Ely, Stone, & Ammerman, 2014). However, the survey also revealed after being
asked how they defined success, both men and women answered with career-orientated answers
(Ely, Stone, & Ammerman, 2014) which shows that females are just as career-oriented as males.

References
AUSTRALIA: THE HEALTHIEST COUNTRY BY 2020. (2009). Australian Government:
Preventative Health Taskforce. Retrieved 6 May 2016, from
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/preventativehealth/publishing.nsf/content/E233F8695823F16
CCA2574DD00818E64/$File/obesity-jul09.pdf
Australians' body image distorted - Eating Disorders and Obesity. (2013). Eating Disorders and
Obesity. Retrieved 6 May 2016, from http://eatingdisordersaustralia.org.au/australias-bodyimage-distortion/
Ely, R., Stone, P., & Ammerman, C. (2014). Rethink What You Know About High-Achieving
Women.Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 6 May 2016, from
https://hbr.org/2014/12/rethink-what-you-know-about-high-achieving-women
Germov, J. (ed.) Second Opinion An Introduction to Health Sociology 5th. edn. South Melbourne:
Oxford Uni. Press

Reflective Journal 3

Erin Mullin

Three strong issues that have caught my attention throughout this topic and contribute to my
evolving understanding of health are; Indigenous Health, Power, Politics and Health Care and
Health Education and Health Promotion. Although these issues differ to one another, I can see
how they intertwine with the other issues discussed throughout this topic and to some extent, I can
relate to them on a personal level. Based on the readings, workshops, peer input and personal
experience, I am able to understand some of the harsh implications these topics have on todays
society.
In studying Indigenous Health as a topic, my understanding of health has completely changed. I
am still shocked that it was believed by non-Indigenous Australians that Indigenous Australians
were doomed to extinction (Germov, 2014, p.152). It horrified me to read this prediction made prior
to WW2 about Indigenous Australians future but is good to know that the government and nonIndigenous religious groups responded to this prediction by creating policies in order to protect
Indigenous Australians from violence, the consequences of introduced diseases brought to
Australia by the white settlers and the negative affects the white settlers have had on Indigenous
Australians traditional life (Germov, 2014, p.152). However, I personally believe that this is not
enough and wont help Indigenous Australians wellness and wellbeing as when reflecting back to
Germovs statement of how well-being, wellness, and happiness are often considered to be
personal issues that are reliant on subjective report their happiness is clearly up to them (Germov,
2014, p.41). Speaking from personal experience in witnessing many homeless Indigenous
Australians in the city, I mentioned to my peers in the workshop about how sorry I felt for the
majority of Indigenous Australians that still havent been able to fully adapt to our white settlers
culture and how I believe the government should be supplying them with more funds and helping
to teach them how to adapt to todays society rather than just creating policies to protect them. In
saying this, my peer responded with how the government does provide them with money although
they just waste it.
It is clear to me that Indigenous Health can be related back to an earlier topic, Wellness and
Wellbeing, which was one of the first topics I truly felt strongly about. I believe this is because of
the inequalities between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians that would
contribute greatly to Indigenous Australians wellness and well-being. A strong example of these
inequalities, and one that particularly stood out to me would be racism. Germov states Indigenous
Australians who reported negative treatment because of race in a rural Western Australian town
were more likely to have poorer mental, physical, and self reported general health (Germov, 2014,
p.150). Whilst examining this particular quote, instantly I think of how Indigenous Australians
wellness and well-being would be greatly impacted on this harsh criticism. I can relate to this
personally as one of my good friends is an Indigenous Australian and would tell me how she didnt
feel comfortable telling people she was Indigenous Australian incase they make racist jokes which
I find deplorable. It was interesting to watch a documentary called Utopia by John Pilger &
Dartmouth Films on Indigenous Australians in the workshop as it was a massive eye opener and
helped me to gain an insight on what it would be like to live in todays society as an Indigenous
Australian. A point from the documentary that stood out to me was that 1/3 of Indigenous
Australians die before the age of 45 years (Dartmouth Films, 2013).
Personally, I feel really angry for how badly Indigenous Australians were treated with the negative
affects of inequality still present to this day. It fascinated me to read the difference between
Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians life expectancy with it the life expectancy for
Indigenous Australians being 11.5 years less for men and 9.7 years less for women and how
Indigenous Australians tend to be hospitalised at double the rate of non-Indigenous Australians
(Germov, 2014, p. 158).

I was intrigued to learn about the topic Health Education and Health Promotion where I was able
to distinguish the difference between the new public health model and the traditional model. In
considering our traditional model of health, it addressed health and illness in providing
communities with basic public health facilities, hospital based services and providing health
education (Germov, 2014, p.465). The difference between the two health models being that the
new public health models approach intends to focus on community participation and
empowerment as well as wider social and environmental change which would prove far more
efficient than just assuming that all thats needed is to educate people of what not to do (Germov,
2014, p.465). However, with all this talk about health education and health promotion, I do wonder
what industries will think about it and if it would actually make them scared. I wonder this purely for
the fact that in the Food, Health & Social Appetite topic it was revealed that many industries such
as clothing stores, fast food chains and gyms to name a few, actually benefit from the rise in
obesity. When considering the sad truth about how our economy actually benefits from people
getting fatter, is the government really going to do whats best for people to become fit, healthy
and happy or are these approaches just the bare minimum. I personally believe that more can be
done to promote health education and health promotion. For instance, I believe that absolutely no
fast food advertisement should be allowed on television at any time after 1pm. I also believe that
school sport should be free of charge or as part of the childs school fees. There should be more
posters around in order to create awareness and I believe health education should be taught as a
compulsory subject in school in order to educate the children from a young age and to guide them
in the direction of having a healthy lifestyle.
In regards to the topic of Power, Politics and Health Care, I feel as though it truly had a strong
influence on my changing understanding of health. Before this topic, I wasnt aware that health
insurance is not a natural part of Australian health policy and that it is merely a consequence of
historical, social, political, economic, ideological, and cultural factors, which together with vested
interests have produced the current health insurance arrangements (Germov, 2014, p.380).
Germov went on to mention how history, culture and structure are the first three blocks for the
sociological imagination and that it is crucial for any decision made on the Australian health care
system to consider these so that the majority of the country can benefit (Germov, 2014, p. 380). I
personally believe that our health care system here in Australia is relatively fair and believe that
these first three blocks of the sociological imagination are to be considered as it will result in the
best outcome for our country.
I was completely fascinated to see just how diverse each countries health care systems were. The
American health care system horrifies me that American citizens are often denied the care and
help they need because its so expensive and they have to pay themselves (Moore, 2007). An
extremely important point the video made was that Americas health care system cares more about
making money than their patients health (Moore, 2007). I found this simply appalling, especially
seeing as it came from a former worker for the hospital who knew what went on behind the scenes
as well as the documentary interviewing former employees from these insurance companies with
them describing the cost-cutting initiatives that give bonuses to insurance company physicians in
order to increase company profitability (Moore, 2007). This can also be backed up by National
Economic & Social Rights Initiative (NESRI) which on their website state The most visible problem
is the 32 million people without health insurance; the most distressing is the number of
preventable deaths- up to 101,000 people per year- simply due to the way the health care system
is organized (NESRI, n.d). NESRI also stated how 700,000 families go bankrupt each year just by
trying to pay for their health care- even though three quarters of them are insured (NESRI, n.d). I
couldnt help but to feel saddened to to think that a lady had to illegally travel across the border
from America to Canada for an operation because it was cheaper than getting it done in America.
In relating this back to my own life experience, I remember back to the start of this year being so
sick with tonsillitis that I couldnt move from my bed so I just called up the after hours doctor and
they came within 10 minutes of the call, to my house, gave me my needed antibiotics prescription

and the visit was bulk-billed to Medicare. I never realised how easy it was for me to access a
doctor whereas if I lived in America, that wouldve been a much harder process. Becoming aware
of Americas health care system has made me appreciate how good Australians health care
system is when in comparison to Americas. However, I truly do wish that one day Australias health
care system will be like Brittans; free national health service.
In regards to the structure of the Australian health care system, I learnt that I had private health
insurance which provides for those with higher incomes who can make contributions, arguably
shorter waiting periods and of higher quality with lower levels of insurance there is a gap to be
paid ("Australia's health system (AIHW)", 2014). I am glad I now have a greater knowledge on
Australias health care system as I was compleltey unaware of it before and is reassuring to know
that my family and I would all be covered if something were to happen with private health
insurance, unlike the 32 million Americans.
Overall, it is clear to see just how greatly the issues discussed over my duration of semester 1
have contributed to my changing understanding of health in ways that I was completely unaware
of prior. I thoroughly enjoyed learning and expanding my knowledge of health and will continue to
do so with further education on the topic.

References
Australia's health system (AIHW). (2014). Australia's Health 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2016, from
http://www.aihw.gov.au/australias-health/2014/health-system/
Dartmouth Films,. (2013). Utopia. Retrieved from http://johnpilger.com/videos/utopia-trailer
Germov, J. (ed.) Second Opinion An Introduction to Health Sociology 5th. edn. South Melbourne:
Oxford Uni. Press
Moore, M. (2007). Sicko. Retrieved from http://documentarystorm.com/sicko/
NESRI,. Health Care in the United States | NESRI | National Economic & Social Rights
Initiative.Nesri.org. Retrieved 9 June 2016, from https://www.nesri.org/programs/health-carein-the-united-states