Abstract:

This chapter examines ways in which sociological concepts and methods can be applied to understanding health promotion for older people. A sociological perspective is valuable for informaing social acrion because outcomes which are social in origin potentially are changeable. The chapter has 3 parts: the first considers how sociological perspectives relate to, and have lagged behind reasearch on ageing; the second part considers Australian research which applies sociological concepts within a multidisciplinary framework to a quantitative study of health status and a qualitative study of the meanings of health; the tird part provides a brief sociological interpretation of policy and related research developments in Australian health promotion as it concerns older people.