Constrained Choice

The theory of constrained choice is a model that shows how different levels of social organizations can influence the lives of people, and how they can lead to unfavorable health consequences in men and women. There are five levels that are associated with the theory of constrained choice: individual, family, workplace, community, and the nation. What happens at these levels, and the limitations they impose on individuals, can cause people to be restricted in the choices they can make and ultimately compromise their health. Often, people with lower income are more negatively affected by these levels than people who are better off and have a higher standard of living. For example, in “Sick Out of Luck”, by Susan Starr Sered and Rushika Fernandopulle, the health insurance issue in the United States is causing health …show more content…
Low income workers must to find jobs that provide health insurance, and when they are not able to, they cannot afford the price of health insurance, and their health is compromised. Because of the policies set in place on a nation level, low wage individuals are not able to receive their health needs, and their choices are limited, eventually leading to poor health. Similar to how people’s well being can be affected by national policies, the concept of spatial inequality can also lead to poor health of those who are poor. Spatial inequality describes situations where there are differences in division of quality resources and services between areas populated by the rich and the poor. Generally, locations that are inhabited by people of higher income tend to have resources, such as infrastructure and food, and services that are of superior quality than places that poorer people live