Thread by @prof_goldberg

Honestly, the complete takeover of population health policy and approaches by a #medicalized notion of #MethodologicalIndividualism sort of fills me with despair -- not just now, but for the future of public health.

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npr.org/sections/healt…

Of all the missteps CDC has made, the doubling-down on approaches that position the individual as the unit of change (#MethodologicalIndividualism and b/c of the source) essentially sanctions it as the dominant mode for public health practice is arguably rock bottom.

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It's in the scientific guidance as well. Look at this sentence:

This is of course NOT a Whole Population Approach or even a structural approach to health equity which would require action from those with the power and agency to redress the effects of #StructuralViolence and

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Historical patterns of domination, oppression, and subordination. Even the interventions proposed are virtually all #medicalized w/ zero mention of using legal & policy change to ameliorate impact of #StructuralViolence. It's all up to the least well-off 2 protect themselves.

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#MethodologicalIndividualism as a mode for public health action is problematic because it is BOTH generally ineffective AND is more likely to expand existing health inequities. I explain this here:

jstor.org/stable/26645041

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The fact that the leading public health agency in the US seems to have embraced #MethodologicalIndividualism and #medicalization as preferred approaches is just so upsetting. I've spent years urging resistance to these frameworks!
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We have already seen the results of this for marginalized communities and it will continue apace.

#PublicHealthLaw #PublicHealthEthics #PHLaw #PHEthx #PublicHealthPolicy #PolicyStudies #LegalEpi #LawIsASDOH #FundamentalCauseTheory #WholePopulation #SocialEpi #SocEpi

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