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There has been much talk in sociological circles of bodies as 'projects' or 'choices,' but surprisingly little examination of how these projects and choices are experienced. Consumer culture has been described as heralding a new era in body-self relations, but few have explored the experience of body-self relations. Body-self relations emerged as central to understanding in this study of the experience of the body at different ages (20-30, 45-55 and 70+ years), demonstrating the utility of empirical investigations in this area. This paper describes an orientation to the body that was common to the sample of 20 young people (aged 20-30 years) interviewed as part of this study. This orientation informed their health-related behaviours such as diet and exercise, but some participants found it to be problematic. Their voices demonstrate that bodily 'choices' may actually be experienced as irrational and even psychopathological compulsions. This experiential perspective suggests that normality may be continuous with pathology, and that differences are of degree rather than kind. The findings have implications for the treatment and prevention of eating disorders and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for the poor, the marginalised and socially excluded to live healthier and longer lives has in recent times become paramount in the development literature and policy discussions seeking to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In response to this, attempts are being made to redirect the research focus to examine socio-economic factors underpinning disease occurrence and ill health for health planning policies and practices to benefit the poor and vulnerable in society. Tliis paper explores the relationship between socio-economic conditions and health outcomes. It identifies and examines through participatory rural assessment techniques, basic socio- economic factors acting as significant pathways through which poverty increases the susceptibility of rural households to diseases. It seeks to address the reasons why the poor are poorer in health in rural communities of the Amansie West district of Ghana. This paper thus emphasises how social stratification and inequalities could affect quality of life of people in any given society, hence supporting the theory of social suffering and its implications on societal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies that focus on the effects of both the division of household chores and of financial contributions on the mental health of couples are scarce. This paper expands on previous research by paying attention to the variation of this relationship among three types of households: Male breadwinner, one-and-a-half-earner and dual-earner. Using paired data from the 10th wave of the Panel Study of Belgian Households, collected in 2001, we perform separate linear regressions for men (N = 1054) and women (N = 1054). The results suggest that in one-and-a-half-earner households, women's employment has a negative effect on their partner's depression level and that in dual-earner households, the effect of women's employment is only negative if men are not the major breadwinner. Crossover effects of depression between partners seem to mediate part of the aforementioned associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Menopause is an important health transition for women, but health-related research has largely failed to account for menopause in a meaningful way, especially when making group comparisons. Age often stands in for menopausal status; at times, it is treated as a dichotomy; however, these are clearly oversimplifications. Menopause is a process that takes place over several years, and varies in onset, length, and expression through symptoms. Defining menopause dichotomously or linking it with age obscures variability in women's experiences and overlooks patterns in physical health, mental health, and quality of life. This paper reviews research to highlight menopausal differences by age, race, and lifestyle factors in the United States. It suggests ways to incorporate a life course-based view of menopause in health research, improving our understanding of women's health outcomes on multiple dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased use of information technology in health care allows researchers to generate data on rates of medication use among population groups, raising questions as to whether these rates are too high or too low. This paper presents findings from a study of records of all prescription medication dispensed in one New Zealand region (Te Tāirawhiti) over a one year period. The study examined patterns of psychotropic medication use amongst older people, by age, gender, ethnicity and socio-economic position. It concludes that the chances of being defined as needing psychotropic medication, that is, of being 'medicalised', are not evenly spread through the elderly population. Gender, age and ethnicity impacted significantly on whether prescriptions were received. Our results suggest the need for a nuanced understanding of the medicalisation of unhappiness and deviant behaviour amongst the elderly which takes into account barriers to treatment for some social groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent commitment to investment in continuing care services demands a sound grasp of workforce utilization in continuing care facilities. This article examines workforce utilization in continuing care as a key component of effective service delivery. We used a case study design with three continuing care facilities in Alberta, Canada. Data were collected over one year through interviews, group discussions and observations. The data revealed workforce issues around staff mix, responsibilities and role clarity that negatively affect staff and residents. Using an ecological framework, we developed 'upstream' workforce strategies targeting barriers that can be influenced by the three facilities. Limited research exists on how regulated and unregulated healthcare providers are organized and deployed in different continuing care environments. In our sociological analysis of workforce utilization at three continuing care facilities, we illuminated the relations between staff and the contextual elements surrounding them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The down low has recently emerged as phenomenon where men have sex with men (MSM), but identify as 'heterosexual' or 'straight'. Although the down low has received considerable attention in United States media, little empirical research has sought to investigate this phenomenon beyond anecdotal evidence. Utilising data from the Urban Men's Health Study (UMHS) (n = 2881), this research offers a unique opportunity to investigate empirically claims of the down low beyond small opportunistic samples. We find significant support for the down low among Blacks and Latinos and its association with high-risk sexual behaviour. These findings highlight the need for future research that better understands the impact of the phenomenon within a cultural and community context [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]