WBUHS MBBS Exam-Oriented Answers

Topic: Social and Behavioural Science and Health

Q.4. Problem Family

• Home life is utterly unsatisfactory
• All broken families are problem families
• Associated with poverty, emotional instability, character defects, and marital disharmony

• Risk of retardation of growth and development
• Suffering from mental deprivation
• May show psychopathic behaviour, subnormal intelligence, immature personality
• Likely to go astray - victims of prostitution, crime and vagrancy
• Development of antisocial behaviour and criminal tendencies

Q.5. Socioeconomic Status (SES) Scale

• Indicator: Per capita family monthly income
• Used for social classification of families (not individuals)
• Preferred for rural areas
• Rupee value is updated using Correction Factor (CF)
• CF = value of AICPI (All India Consumer Price Index) × 4.93% (0.0493) [Kumar's modification = Modified BG Prasad's classification]

• Used for urban areas
• Three major variables considered:
  1. Education
  2. Occupation
  3. Monthly family income
• Weighted score given for each; total score determines social class
• Inflation-based Correction Factor (CF) applied for income
• Five classes: Upper (I), Upper Middle (II), Lower Middle (III), Upper Lower (IV), Lower (V)

• Based on 9 characteristics:
  1. Caste
  2. Occupation of head of family
  3. Education of head of family
  4. Land holding
  5. Level of social participation of head of family
  6. Type of family
  7. Housing
  8. Farm power (owning animals, tractors)
  9. Material possession
• Five SES categories: Upper, Upper-Middle, Lower Middle, Upper Lower, Lower
• Applicable for rural areas

Exam Tip: BG Prasad = rural + income only. Kuppuswamy = urban + 3 variables. Pareek & Kulshrestha = rural + 9 variables.

Q.6. Family Physician

• Family physician is the first level of contact for the patient and his family.

1. Provide comprehensive health care - preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative family oriented approach in health and disease
2. Continuity of care covering the total life cycle
3. Study all elements that produce disease or make the family healthy
4. Provide primary health care to all family members
5. Take decision for appropriate referral for secondary/tertiary health care when necessary
6. Institute immediate resuscitatory and first aid measures in emergencies
7. Assess health problems in assigned families and the community
8. Conduct epidemiological research

Q.7. Problems of Industrialisation

• (a) Housing: Rise in slums due to rural-urban migration leading to:
  • Poor standard of living, lack of sanitation, overcrowding, improper drainage
  • These are predisposing factors for communicable diseases
• (b) Water Pollution: Discharge of industrial wastes (acids, alkalis, oils, toxic inorganic substances) into water sources
• (c) Air Pollution: Discharge of toxic gases, fumes, dusts and smoke into atmosphere
• (d) Sewage Disposal: Poor drainage contaminates water and soil with parasites, bacteria, viruses

• Tuberculosis, venereal diseases, food and water-borne infections
• Vector-borne diseases (malaria, filariasis) due to water collection around industries

• Viral hepatitis, typhoid and other food-borne diseases if precautions not taken

• Altered living conditions, food habits, failure of adjustment may lead to mental illness, psychoneuroses, behaviour disorders, delinquency

• Increased due to congestion, vehicular traffic, increased tempo of life
• In addition to factory accidents

• Alcoholism, drug addiction, prostitution, antisocial activities, juvenile delinquency - all increased

Q.8. Social Stress

1. Life events - Abrupt, severe life changes requiring quick adaptation (e.g., sexual assault, sudden injury)
2. Chronic strains - Persistent events requiring adaptation over extended time (e.g., divorce, unemployment)
3. Daily hassles - Minor events throughout the day requiring adaptation (e.g., bad traffic, disagreements)

• Clinical depression
• Anxiety disorder

• Greater mortality rate
• Morbidity: Risk for cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, neoplastic, pulmonary, renal and other chronic diseases
• Long-term effects: Increased risk for stroke, heart attack, diabetes, hypertension
• HIV-positive females with HSV virus: stress is a risk factor for genital herpes breakouts

Q.9. Social Mobilisation (WBUHS 2015)

1. Plays a critical role in the effort to eradicate polio
2. People organise themselves to take collective action by developing their own plan and strategy
3. Communities that self-mobilise make informed decisions, reach sustainable solutions and achieve better results faster
4. Enhances participation of rural poor in local governance and decision-making
5. Improves access to social and production services and efficient use of local financial resources
6. Cornerstone of participatory approaches in rural development and poverty alleviation
7. Powerful instrument in decentralisation policies - strengthens human and institutional resources at local level

Q.10. Social Defence

• Such movements draw the attention of the government and eventually result in formation of legal measures
• Helps in controlling social evils like alcoholism, gambling, prostitution, drug abuse, child abuse, dowry system, casteism, suicide, etc.

• Hindu Marriage Act, 1955
• Hindu Succession Act, 1965
• Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956
• Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1978
• Child Labour Protection and Regulation Act, 1986
• Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954
• Consumer Protection Act, 1986
• Environmental Protection Act, 1986
• Prostitution and Immoral Traffic Act, 1958

Q.11. Merits of Joint Family

1. All property held in common; there is a common purse from which all expenditures are made
2. Division of labour exists
3. Preservation of moral values
4. Provides social and economic security to old, helpless and unemployed members
5. Child rearing practices are better followed

Q.12. Medical Social Worker (MSW)

1. Assess the need for social work services of individual, family and community
2. Arrange or provide social work services
3. Participate in overall planning and evaluation of social work services

• Significant in chronic diseases - HIV/AIDS, leprosy, tuberculosis, cancer, behavioural problems of children
• Services include: counselling, psychotherapy, rehabilitation, prevention of disease/disability

Q.13. Dynamics of Behaviour (WBUHS 2024)

• Genetic makeup, sex differences, physical growth, nutrition, etc.

• Social norms and values, social status, family structure, educational status, economic status, impact of modernisation/urbanisation, customs, traditions, cultural ceremonies

• Cognition, perception, emotions, attitudes, memory, etc.

Note (WBUHS 2023): A study has revealed that 90% of the population can be classified into 4 basic personality types: Optimistic, Pessimistic, Trusting and Envious.

Q.14. Social Marketing (WBUHS 2023)

1. Satisfaction of customer needs
2. Improvement of quality of life
3. Implementation of long-term policy for customers and society's welfare
4. Freedom from all sorts of pollution and ecological destructions

1. Health promotion: family welfare, heart care, immunisation, anti-AIDS, anti-smoking campaigns
2. Safe drinking water, soil conservation, wildlife preservation, environmental protection

EXPLANATORY QUESTIONS

Q.15. Customs Do Not Always Have Negative Effect on Health (WBUHS 2016, 2019)

• Custom refers to practices repeated by generations, followed simply because they have been followed in the past
• Habit is a purely personal affair with no social obligation (e.g., bed tea, brushing teeth before bed)
• When habits are shared and socially approved, they are converted to customs over time
• Good customs (positive effect on health):
  • Taking daily bath
  • Brushing teeth daily
  • Giving respect to elderly and women
  • Prolonged breastfeeding (MCH field)
  • Oil bath and massage to babies
  • Exposure to sun
• Bad customs (negative effect on health):
  • Delivery by traditional untrained dai
  • Not putting newborn to breast in first 3 days (belief that colostrum is harmful)
  • Giving sugar/honey on mouth of newborn
• Conclusion: Customs do not always have negative effect on health.

Q.16. Family is Considered as an Epidemiological Unit (WBUHS 2014)

• Family is defined as members of a household bearing relationship to one another
• Community is the unit of people having common attributes, rights or interests; family is the structural unit of a community
• For any epidemiological survey/investigation, researchers must go to the community - the structural unit of which is the family
• Therefore, family is considered as an epidemiological unit

Q.17. Family as a Unit of Health (WBUHS 2019)

Q.18. Social Security Measures in Preventing Health Problems

Q.19. Internship is an Example of Socialisation (WBUHS 2024)

• Internship represents an important step for students as they enter the world of work to practice what they have studied in the classroom
• The internship training programme gives doctors the opportunity to learn how to become acceptable to the public as doctors
• During 1 year internship (as mandated by NMC), students go through all major departments
• They internalise social norms, roles and values as a doctor into their own mind
• Thus, internship is a very good example of socialisation

Q.20. Customs Do Not Always Have Negative Effect on Health (WBUHS 2024)

1. Prolonged breastfeeding
2. Oil bath and massage to babies
3. Exposure to sun (source of Vitamin D)

1. Delivery by traditional untrained dai
2. Newborn not put to breast in first 3 days (belief that colostrum is harmful)
3. Giving sugar or honey on mouth of newborn

GROUP C - Multiple Choice Questions (Answers)

Note for WBUHS Candidates: Questions marked with year tags (WBUHS 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2023, 2024) are directly from past WBUHS papers - these are high-yield for upcoming exams. Prioritise: Social Mobilisation, Dynamics of Behaviour, Socialisation/Internship, Customs and Health, Social Marketing, and SES scales.