Social inequality and health: the historical and sociological study

Abstract

The article examines social determinants, which affect health under the context of the spread of a new coronavirus infection. The author points out that the study of the impact of various factors on the health of society and individual has been quite widely represented in scientific research discourse. There are also different classifications of them. However, in the current situation of a pandemic, this question is again actual because of the differences in the levels of morbidity and mortality among the population around the world. In this regard, based on the analysis of the main social determinants of health, the author defines the factors, which play a determining role in the spread of the new coronavirus infection. They are the following: the features of the organization and functioning of national health systems; the possibility of protecting and preventing health; the degree of social trust; the level of social solidarity; the degree of digital socialization, including the level of digital literacy; the level of health literacy of the population, national and cultural characteristics, which affect a compliance, the perception of preventive measures, in particular, vaccination. According to the author, these factors include both objective and subjective characteristics. But, no less that under the conditions of such a phenomenon, how can one characterize the situation, the current system of a pandemic of a new coronavirus infection, the health of an individual and society turns into a phenomenon of social construction, the mechanism of which is based on factors of external influence.