HLPE1540

Reflective Journal 1 and 2

Sin Young - 2152184

Reflective Journal 1
Having previously done a topic on sociology, I have found that learning about the
sociological model of health has built upon my previous learning of sociology. The
structure-agency debate (Germov, 2013, pg. 9) was recognisable to me almost
instantly and I felt I was able to build upon my previous understanding with the aspect
of health and how sociology can give a second opinion on the way health is defined.
I have felt that so far the content of the topic has largely related to sociology and that
doing sociology before doing health has allowed me to better understand the complex
ideas about the social determinants of health.
For me, victim-blaming (Germov, 2013, pg.13) stood out as one of the most significant
parts of information in relation to exploring the social determinants of health. As I had
previously learnt through experiencing health as an individual, and building upon what
I have learnt from how I have been taught to consider the reasons behind why things
are a certain way, victim-blaming has been an idea I have come across previously.
Only through the reading and workshops have I been able to put a name to this
specific idea. I felt that this concept in particular relates to the second opinion of
health as it has taught me to consider the way in which conventional views may be
damaging to certain groups of people.
While reading chapter 1 (Germov, 2013, pg. 5) I found that the life expectancy chart,
table 1.1 (Germov, 2013, pg. 7) was a central part of my learning in this chapter. In
particular, the comparison between Australian and Indigenous Australians life
expectancies. On a personal level, I have been made aware of the disadvantages of
Indigenous Australians, as my mum works as a speech pathologist with indigenous
children and has taught me the systematic differences between these socio-economic
status. The life expectancy chart (Germov, 2013, pg. 7) reiterated my previous
understanding and further expanded the way in which I consider why health differs
across groups of people.
I have found that the concept of medical pluralism (Germov, 2013, pg. 72) has
changed the way I consider globalisation and traditional medicine. Germov introduces
the idea that in developing countries, TM (traditional medicine) is the only choice
when it comes to health concerns, as doctors/nurses may not only be a day or so walk
away, but the price difference is so enormous there is no real choice (Germov, 2013,

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pg. 74). He also considers the fact that medical pluralism highlights the importance
of considering the role of culture, identity, religion and history in effective and
culturally appropriate health interventions (Germov, 2013, pg. 76) These concepts
improved the way in which I am able to consider medicine in a global context. As I
have previously had personal experiences traditional Chinese medicine in regards to
herbs and acupuncture, I had a prior understanding of the way in which TM work. With
these concepts of medical pluralism, I am now able to consider all aspects of the
access a group of people have to a certain type of medicine because of their socioeconomic status.
From working in groups during the workshops I have learnt how to most effectively
share my ideas with a group of unknown people and how to ask questions of them
which will most effectively expand my knowledge. Previously, I did not enjoy working
in groups with people I was not familiar with and did not feel comfortable sharing my
ideas with the class unless I felt completely confident. In working in groups with both
people I am similar to and those who I am not, I have learnt that sharing ideas with
the group, effective or not, can expand my knowledge on health, and in particular the
social determinants of health.
Reference:
Germov, J, 2013. Second Opinion: An Introduction to Health Sociology. 5th ed.
Australia: Oxford University Press.

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Sin Young - 2152184

Reflective Journal 2
Having read Chapter 5 of Second Opinion, (Germov, 2013, p. 81) I gained a better
understanding of concepts such as the social gradient of health. During my previous
studies of history during high school I gained knowledge about health gaps between
the rich and poor. Only through this health topic has this been explained in depth, with
reference to both artefact, natural/social selection and cultural/behavioural
explanations on why this gap exists. Marmot and Wilkinson (Germov, 2013, p. 91)
offer an explanation most similar to what I have come to understand through health
and history, the widening income inequality accompanied by work intensification
and unemployment has led to increased levels of stressand depression in the
community [these factors] negatively impact on healthamong the poor, but also
among those who experience relative inequality. (Germov, 2013, p. 91) Through
having experience with people who have low rates of employment; therefore, money
and in this case poor health, I have found that learning about class and health through
workshops and Germov has given evidence to what I had observed to be true.
Studies of morbidity (illness) and mortality (death) have consistently shown that the
poor have the highest rates of illness and the shortest life expectancy. (Germov,
2013, p. 87) This relates back to the life expectancy chart, Table 1.1 (Germov, 2013, p.
7) which I discussed in my first journal, and found to be fascinating when relating this
to socio-economic status (SES). Through reading chapter 5, I have been able to make
these connections between introductory ideas and more complex interrelations of
health and class.
As I have previously completed a topic on womens studies, I found the ideas
presented about gendered health in Second Opinion, Chapter 7 (Germov, 2013, p.
122) to largely relate to this topic. While Table 7.1: Leading causes of death by sex, all
ages, 2009 (Germov, 2013, p. 125) introduced me to new concepts about medical
causes of death between genders such as heart attacks etc., the idea that women
get sick; men die (Germov, 2013, p. 125) relates to my previous understanding of

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how women are viewed to experience health. I feel that I learnt a lot reading Chapter
7 (Germov, 2013, p. 122) as I was motivated to learn about this topic. Because my
group for the oral presentations have chosen to do our speech on womens sexual
health, I also feel that this new knowledge will help in finding and arguing our
information. Furthermore, Germov also drew upon womens experience of domestic
violence as a gendered health/illness experience in Chapter 7 (Germov, 2013, p. 122),
with reports that 338,700 women were victims of physical violence, and 180,400 of
these assaults being committed by partners or former partners (Germov, 2013, p.
127). My previous learning through womens studies relates to this learning about
health as womens health through safety is a common discussion in womens studies
topics. Additionally, Germov discusses the concept that women and men experience
the exact same illnesses in different ways, with quotes such as, A particular injury
may be physically the same, regardless of how one was injured; but the personal
meaning and social consequences will be very different. (Germov, 2013, p. 128).
This research gives backup to concepts I have learnt regarding women and their
experiences in comparison to men, through womens studies and as being a woman
myself. Through re-visiting and expanding my knowledge on womens experience of
health in Second Opinion, I have accumulated a greater understanding of gendered
health.
During HLPE1540 workshops, I have now learnt about company tactics through
packaging used to sell food products. With knowledge of companies labelling their
food as equivalent to 2 servings of fruit when there are large amounts of sugar in
their products, and cholesterol free being labelled on non-animal products, I have
learnt about the level of information allowed on food packaging, and the lack of
regulation this receives. I have now come to understand that food labels can be
confusing and deceiving to customers. During the workshop on 26th of April, a video
was shown, arguing against the heart and stroke foundation in Canada allowing foods
with large amounts of sugar to have an approved health tick on the front.
Interrelated concepts regarding the medicalisation of food draw upon packaging
claims (Germov, 2013, p. 209). The idea of functional foods relates to my new
understanding of how food is presented. These food products which deliver a
supposed health benefit beyond providing sustenance and nutrients relate to my
understanding of the medicalisation of food in both Canada and Australia (Germov,
2013, p. 210). Subsequently, during the workshop on the 26th of April, the allocation of
photographs from Hungry Planet: What People Eat Around the World (Menzel,

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DAluisio, 2013) taught me about varieties of food around the world. What particularly
interested me about these photos was the difference in consumption of meat and
dairy products. As consumption of these foods in Australia is continually debated as
many people feel that these foods are essential for a healthy diet, and alternatively
many believe eating them is inhumane, I felt it was interesting to see the difference of
these ideals across the world. This workshop and Chapter 11 on The Social Appetite
(Germov, 2013, p. 207) has broadened my understanding of structure and agency in
relation to food, including parents feeling that sugar-filled foods may be suitable for
their children because of their serving of fruit etc.; as packaging does not provide
information about intake of sugar for adults or children, and structure and agency in
reference to vegan/vegetarian diets.
Reference:
deMilked: Peter Menzel, Faith DAluisio. 2013. Hungry Planet: What People Eat Around
the World. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.demilked.com/what-the-world-eats/.
[Accessed 5 May 2016].
Germov, J, 2013. Second Opinion: An Introduction to Health Sociology. 5th ed.
Australia: Oxford University Press.
Reflective Journal 3
The movie Beneath Clouds (Beneath Clouds, 2002) which was shown during the
health workshop on the 10th of May, built upon many of the concepts which were
discussed in Chapter 8, Indigenous Health: The Perpetuation of Inequality (Germov
2013, p. 147). I found that concepts such as, The contemporary ill-health of
Indigenous people must be located in the historical context of colonialism and
continuing inequalities (Germov 2014, p. 158) were explored in Beneath Clouds, as
the indigenous characters were on the low socio-economic spectrum. They also
experienced inequality through different treatments by police officers. From the
learning in HLPE1540, this can be assumed to be partially because of Lenas white
appearance and Vaughns obvious indigeneity. These inequalities faced by indigenous
Australians also relates to the life expectancy chart, Table 1.1 (Germov 2013, p. 7), as
I have discussed in my first journal. When I first read the chart, I noticed the inequality
between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians in relation to life expectancy, and
reading Chapter 8 (Germov 2013, p. 147) helped me to further understand the
reasons behind this inequality. Risk factors, harmful consumption of alcohol and
violence rates among indigenous Australians in comparison to non-indigenous

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Australians, explained in Chapter 8 (Germov 2013, p. 147), shows many of the
reasons why there is a gap between these two groups of people. An example of this is
indigenous peoples also experience significant inequalities. Underlying these are
common colonial histories involving the dispossession and subsequent marginalisation
of indigenous peoples. (Germov 2013, p. 150). These concepts were easy to relate to
Beneath Clouds (Beneath Clouds, 2002), as Vaughn, being an indigenous Australian,
spent time in jail, and the movie explores his home life and why this pushed him to
commit crimes. In my first journal, I mentioned that my mum is a speech pathologist
and has worked with indigenous children, and through this experience, has taught me
why many of these children were on the low end of the socio-economic scale. Reasons
for this included colonialism, the impact of the Stolen Generation etc. Focusing on the
health of indigenous Australians in this health topic, through a sociological lens,
helped me to understand the relationship between class health and health inequalities
in Australia.
Building upon these concepts, Beneath Clouds (Beneath Clouds, 2002) showcased
the theme of reflexivity. Throughout the movie, it becomes obvious that Lena and
Vaughn are exploring their identities through the contrast between each others
upbringing, family, and understanding of indigeneity vs non-indigeneity. Beneath
Clouds (Beneath Clouds, 2002), allows the viewer to break down the walls between
the concepts of self and other, by showing the viewer that once a group has
labelled someone as other, it is difficult to break out of this mindset and treat them
as equal. Through the viewing of this movie, it became easier for me to link concepts
within the indigeneity framework, such as assimilation/assimilationism. The concept of
assimilation/assimilationism in Chapter 8 (Germov 2013, p. 147) became easy for to
me to understand in Beneath Clouds (Beneath Clouds, 2002). Vaughns interactions
with police officers and Lenas seemingly non-indigenous Australian identity showed
that Vaughns anger about colonialism was considered outdated by the police officers
and sometimes Lena, showing assimilation/assimilationism. It also seemed that they
somewhat believed Vaughn should come to terms with colonialism and the fact that
life will never be the same again for indigenous Australians. The way in which Lena
and Vaughn challenge each others identities and views about the world show the
reflexivity between these contrasting characters. An example of the way Lena and
Vaughn challenge each other is when they are speaking about religion. Because of
their differing experiences, they had different views on whether God loved them, or
was real. This showed how the contrast between the characters experiences effected

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how they viewed the world and why it is a certain way. Watching Beneath Clouds
(Beneath Clouds, 2002) helped me to understand concepts about indigenous health
and the contrast between this and the health of non-indigenous people in Australia. I
also found that the casting of the main characters as young people in Beneath
Clouds (Beneath Clouds 2002), was helpful in regards to giving a complex but
simplified understanding of indigenous health in Australia. As Lena and Vaughn are
young, (teenagers/young adults), the understandings they had of their indigeneity
was shown in a simplified way, but showcased that the terrible health inequality in
Australia can affect indigenous Australians of all ages.
Although there was no designated workshop about politics and health care, I found
many concepts in Chapter 19, Power, Politics and Health Care, interesting (Germov
2013, p. 359). With an election currently approaching in Australia, concepts in Second
Opinion (Germov 2013) about socialism and liberalism further explained to me the
interplay of aspects in politics. An example of this is, Structural factorshave shaped
the way health policy[and] health insurance has been organised to include the
federal organisation of the Australian health care system, the role of ideology, and the
relationship between, and power exercised by, the various structural interests
(Germov 2013, pp. 379-380). Because there was no workshop on this particular topic,
I found it more difficult to remember all of the concepts surrounding health care and
politics, but these were explained logically in Chapter 19 (Germov 2013, p. 359). An
example of this information in Second Opinion (Germov 2013), is Table 19.3, Neonatal
and Infant Mortality Rates* for Australia, the UK and the US Per 1000 Live Births
(2010), (Germov 2013, p. 369). Tables such as these used throughout Second Opinion
(Germov 2013) explained sociological aspects of health in a logical way. When I began
HLPE1540, I knew that the health topic would take an alternative approach to how I
had been taught health in high school, but I was surprised by how much the health
topic was linked to concepts I had learnt in sociology in my first year of university. An
example of how my learning differed from high school is the way Second Opinion
(Germov 2013) analyses the health care system. The breakdown of these ideas is
easy to understand and emphasises why politics in Australia is is organised in a
certain way, and how the history of the country influences this. A further example of
one of these concepts is What is more, illness can restrict others, either through the
risk of the spread of infection, through emotional and psychological suffering, or
through the loss of productivity (Germov 2013 p. 369). The way in which Germov

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explains various elements of health allow it to become easy to understand how health,
and other every day aspects of life, can be viewed sociologically.
Through going to health workshops, I have discovered that without a class discussion
of a concept or issue, the many aspects of the concept become lost for me within the
many aspects of health I have been taught. Through the interactions within the health
workshops, I have learnt that discussing opinions and hearing about the impact of
health inequalities is the easiest way for me to obtain complex understandings with
the interplay of many concepts. Because I was sick for 2 weeks in a row and missed 2
workshops, I found that this personal experience gave me further insight into a
sociological view of health. Although I felt that I was previously quite able to view
health through a sociological lens; through previously completing a sociology topic, I
found that being sick myself gave me more firsthand insight into this concept. I learnt
in a more complex way that when there is something preventing one from doing what
is usually expected of them, it is easy to misunderstand what is happening within their
expectations. It also becomes easy to get lost in trying to catch up and be like the
ideal group, or on the opposite end of the spectrum, not understand what is
expected of them and become out of touch. Adding on to this personal experience
was the payment aspect of my illness. With my family, I discussed aspects of the
health care system in Australia in comparison to America, and how we are lucky that
we didnt have to pay hospital bills. Bulk billing also came into our discussion as it
varies throughout Australia, and the rest of the world, and the possible changes to
bulk billing once there is an election was discussed during one groups Inquiry
Presentation. Through analysing my personal experiences sociologically, I came to
understand why it may be difficult for people who take a liberal standpoint to
understand the many complexities of a situation. I was then able to relate this to
Chapter 19 (Germov 2013, p. 359). In Chapter 19 (Germov 2013, p. 359) this
standpoint; also known as individualism/individualisation, is described as A belief or
process supporting the primacy of individual choice, freedom and self-responsibility.
(Germov 2013, p. 370). After reading Chapter 19 (Germov 2013, p. 359), it became
more difficult for me to align my views with this belief system, as the concepts
discussed in HLPE1540 seemed to align more closely with socialism. In conjunction
with this, I learnt about the contrast between the current Australian government and
the way HLPE1540 allows and asks us to view the reasons behind health inequality.

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References:
Beneath Clouds. (2002). [film] Australia: Ivan Sen.
Germov, J, 2013. Second Opinion: An Introduction to Health Sociology. 5th ed.
Australia: Oxford University Press.