As a future health professional, you will have many questions that begin with “Why.” For example, why do Hispanics have better health outcomes compared to other U.S. non-Hispanic whites, even though Hispanics have lower incomes, harsher jobs, less education, and are less likely to access healthcare? Answering this question requires the use of the sociological perspective, the process of understanding and explaining how individuals and groups interact within society. Data indicates that Hispanics will live approximately two to three years longer than Whites, thus creating what is referred to as the Hispanic mortality paradox. Does the fact that Hispanics have lower smoking rates, better general health and diet, and stronger family ties and a sense of community explain their longevity? Here are some other questions you may be asking in the future.

• Why are some people more or less likely to be healthy because they are unequal in terms of social class, race and ethnicity, or other social inequalities?
• Why do some races have poorer nutrition due to lower incomes as well as cultural preferences for foods high in fat?
• Why are patients noncompliant (don’t adhere to the recommendations of the provider)? Nearly 4 billion prescriptions are written yearly, but over 50 percent are taken incorrectly or not at all.

You can begin using the sociological perspective even before you begin interacting with patients. The more practice you gain now, the better you will be as a health professional.