ABSTRACT
So far, we have looked at a variety of ways in which health can be defined, a number of techniques that can be used to measure it, and some of the different ways in which it can be explained. In doing this, we have distinguished between those explanations which have a biological focus and those which suggest that social factors have a significant role to play in determining health. In the remainder of this book, attention will be focused on several different social explanations. In this chapter, the emphasis will be on those that are broadly socialpositivist in their emphasis. In subsequent chapters, interactionist and structuralist explanations will be looked at in more detail.
