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CHAPTER – I

INTRODUCTION

“All of us are in a position to interpret and shape our own well-being through

our understanding of our bodies, and through choices in our everyday lives

about diet, exercise, consumption patterns and general lifestyle.”

- Giddens

CONTEXT OF THE STUDY:

In social action sociology social movements have a place well

identified as the prime and effective movers in the direction of changing

behavior of individuals or the collectivities almost irreversible way, if not

total. Social, economic, political and otherwise life of an area exposes to

this force put up by the collective action along with general lead given by

its leaders, the movement elites. The movement changes the living and

thinking of people, and, push structural changes in the groups. Some

movements appeal specific way in the segmented population, while some

other movements have very general appeal like in the areas i.e. security,

safety, health, education, social practices, environment and peace; the

areas now are covered under New Social Movement, rather traditional

one.

Health scenario in India presently with Rs.12,050 crore budget

operated under National Rural Health Mission (Kurukshetra Journal,

April 2012) and also world over has attracted special interests and the

attention not only of the governments but of private players as well.

However, significant suspicion about honest delivery to the target

population sustains every time. At this stage of history of public health

two things emerged simultaneously; one, medical sophistication and

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another growth of chronic and difficult diseases, causing panic among the

masses. The percolation of these high diseases from upper classes to low

and higher age groups to lower i.e. to youngsters which includes the

„killer‟ diseases heart diseases, hepatitis, cancer, AIDS, diabetes, obesity,

asthma and lungs disorders etc. as a disturbing fact of health. The case of

Punjab is in point where 6000 school children are advised to be treated

for heart ailments by Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science,

Chandigarh (The Tribune, 18thOctober, 2008).

All this is attributed broadway to chemicalization of food and

unhealthy lifestyle however, other determinants like educational status,

housing conditions, economic status, social relationships, genetic and

environmental conditions are included, advancing aging as well (The

Times of India: 22nd

May, 2013).

The gravity of challenge to health problem reportedly is indicated

with the facts and figures put here. The health surveys suggest that

women are more crises prone than men, urban people than rural. The

corporate employees at Gurgaon in 60% cases were the victims of

different diseases because of their working conditions and lifestyles (The

Tribune: 14th

August, 2012). The incidence of severe diseases is estimated

greater in developing countries. The larger population of India and China

estimatedly would be in the grip of serious diseases like diabetes, heart

ailments and cancers (The Hindu: 19th September, 2011 and 2

nd May,

2012). The first lady of America Michelle Obama cautioned the

concerned quarters in U.S.A. about the increasing tendency of obesity, as

it was 32% among American children, however, in India with around

30% urban population is tolerating 15% obese children (The Tribune:

22nd

December, 2010) even Indian army is encountered with its 30%

military personnel overweight, 22% with high cholesterol level due to

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lack of exercise as is revealed in the sample survey conducted by defence

ministry and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) jointly (Times

of India: 6th

September, 2011) and more Denmark, the Nordic country has

imposed a „fat tax‟ on butter and oily liquids „to curb unhealthy eating

habits‟ by the approval of the Parliament to enhance the expectancy of

life of Danes (The Hindu: 4th

October, 2011). Interestingly, obesity not

only a problem to human health but it also creates environmental worries

where obese generated additional weight equivalent to 24.2 crores of

people as estimated by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Scientists (Punjab Kesari: 18th

June, 2012).

Health hazard is the global problem. United States is alarmed by

the fact of rapidly growing disability and chronic health problem and

simultaneously uneasy inability to provide medical care to its population.

The cost factor is also a load on financial liability at the government now

Americans, “paying more attention to the kind of lifestyle they choose to

live and to the kind of health behaviour they decide to engage in” (Harold

G. Koenig et.al. 2001).

To comply with the demand and responsibility of public health, the

political order responds through institutionalization of health services

with huge budgetary allocation. The nation state comes out with health

policy and health programming for the masses. In addition, W.H.O. and

UNICEF conduct the health surveys and provide expertise advices and

finance to the member governments. The international bodies on health

and related sectors of human life now celebrates some „days‟ like

Diabetes Day, Heart Care day and likewise, along with family decade

actually the family is very crucial element in shaping the lifestyle and is

affected itself because of the lifestyle of its members. In Haryana, a

decade before the women folk were in arms against the liquor addicts and

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attracted the attention of media, politicians, administrators and general

public both in rural and urban areas as their protest appeared with a

sensitive technique that was „ghagra dalna‟ in the neck of male addicts

all it was to save their family economy and the relationship. Perhaps,

Mahatma Gandhi is the tallest personality who was outspoken against the

liquor use as he said that to go for wine, to go towards furnace that

destroys the body, mind and soul but the states are liberal towards liquor

policy and despite the efforts of the governments as placed in Directive

Principles of State Policy enshrined in the Indian Constitution the liquor

menace is going up and fresh entry of drug mafia taking their items to the

youth even of rural areas that create ruins of many families and eruption

of family violence. The scenario is -

„mareej- e- ishq pe rehmat khudaa ki,

maraj badhta gaya jyon-jyon dava kee‟

The media is doing a commendable work on the front of public

health as it provides in print and electronic channels a space to the news

items, articles from experts, activities of World and National bodies on

health and the health problems of common people in rural and urban

areas with regards chronic diseases and the health policies of the

government in critical form and above all media has covered the health

social movement raised by Ramdev and other personalities in the field of

yoga like B.K.S. Iyengar and Vikram abroad it helped the globalization of

yoga.

Health care movement as appeared world over as most

humanitarian and politically potent enterprise. Private and public

investments contribute to the health care system both in institutional and

financial terms. Healthcare expenditure in India is largely private with

80% of the total vis-à-vis governments‟ 20%, in comparison to

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capitalistic U.K., just reverse, i.e. 20:80. Obviously the public sector role

is quite smaller and inadequate; and so the poor people have to spend

12% of their family income while rich sections spend 2% on health care

in India (NCAER report, 2000). In India, lion‟s share is spent on

dominant Allopathic system, out of total budget i.e. 2.5% of GDP and is

maintained by present political apparatus continuingly. And the spending

on alternative health care system has remained scanty. AYUSH stream

(Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) has

been treated as complementary and alternative treatment system besides

the biomedicine system – Allopathy.

„Alternative health‟ in India survived despite the dominance of

modern allopathic medicine system (Dalal, A.K. and Ray Subba, 2005).

And the traditional system of medicine manages between 70-90% of all

sickness (Kleinman, 1978).

The alternative system of medicine has opened the door for the

autonomous interventions from individuals, trusts, NGOs, civil society

actors‟ etc. agencies. These actors with alternative health paradigm of

their own have come to change the health scenario of India today by

erecting alternative health medicine movements, proposing a varied range

of preventive, curative, promotional prescriptions in Ayurveda, Yoga and

Naturopathy, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy. However, Homeopathy

has its roots in Germany.

This AYUSH complex of alternative system of treatment is gaining

prestige day by day among the general public. And, other innovative

health techniques are being brought to the public without the support of

government. However, alternative medicines are raised (Indian Board of

Alternative Medicine, Calcutta observation) curiously enough by lifestyle

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health social movements initiated by new service providers- Babas and

Swamis, preaching India‟s old medical heritage preserved in Susrut and

Charak Samhitas and Patanjali‟s Astang Yoga-Yama, Niyama, Asanas,

Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi (Balkrishana

Acharya, 2007) and which claimingly aims at providing complete “well

being” of body, mind and soul (W.H.O.). Moreover, the yoga and

Ayurveda as alternative therapies for lesser economic cost are relevant for

a poor country with larger population living below poverty line i.e. below

Rs. 32/- per day in urban areas and Rs. 26/- day in rural India.

Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev‟s health initiative or health solutions

have acquired worldwide acclaim and attention. His Pranayama

technique, roughly treated into the West but as an aerobic exercise,

registers however with „Great Claims‟ for the chronic and difficult

diseases like the cancer, AIDS, heart diseases and obesity, diabetes

besides normal ailments, which posed tremendous health challenge. The

people in larger number are attracted towards Yogic exercises and other

healing and curative therapies. Almost at every urban location in India

various groups of Yoga are in vogue with aim to get rid of these diseases,

claimingly and perceptibly.

But this program of curative and preventive medicine advocating a

drastic and visible change in the lifestyle of individual humans as a

necessary pre condition. Ramdev‟s health discourse is a cultural, spiritual

and physical knowledge package for the people seeking health remedy

and their well-being today „for world humanity‟ (Yog in Synergy with

Medical Science: 2007). The yoga now becomes in U.S. an industry of

30,000 crores where 16.5 million people practice yoga and the doubled

number shown took interest in yoga (Khareghat, Pheroze: The Tribune:

4th

November, 2011). It is to look upon this movement as the variable on

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the lifestyle of the people as yoga is a comprehensive strategy of all

round development and curing illness impacting directly and indirectly

many things among practitioners.

The sociological inquiry must address while the way the lifestyle

of larger members has seemingly undergone a change being subjected to

many pulls and pushes which observably might cause structural changes

in the families and its setting concomitantly.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

The present study was proceeded in with the following objectives:

1. To know the structural-functional efficacy of health movement

both as a collective action and as peculiar type of social movement.

2. To note the extent the lifestyles of people are changed under the

health social movement as variable upon that.

3. It was also the objective here to know about the changed family

setting/environment probably as a concomitant of the changes in

the lifestyle of the practitioners again under influence of new health

solutions advanced by Swami Ramdev.

4. To highlight the changes, if any, in gender relationship for the

better after yoga lifestyle adopted by the heads of the families.

5. It was also to know about the kind of social consciousness this

healthy lifestyle has generated.

6. And to assess the acceptance of yoga lifestyle by the people in city

with religious history.

7. And lastly, to assess how new helath initiative could succeed as a

generative force impelling on social capital reformation in families.

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS:

The following questions were investigated into the proposed research:

1. Who have been the yoga beneficiaries from Ramdev‟s health

prescriptions by their socio-economic features in the city of

Kurukshetra?

2. How lifestyle altered vide reallocation of time and money

resources under yoga health initiative raised by Swami Ramdev

among the sampled respondents of Kurukshetra town?

3. What have been the concomitant changes in the family settings as a

result of adoption of yoga ways of life and living by the

respondents?

RATIONALE OF THE STUDY:

The sociologists in recent years came to attend the problems in

health sector from sociological point of view. The sociologists and social

anthropologists, both, in recent years came to add theoretical core and

practical research. Andsome majors include - Giddens, Steve Taylor,

Scott and Fultcher, Mark Edberg, Insel P.M., Jeffrey C. Alexander, P.M.

Roth, and, W.H.O. also advising in the same line. Therein lifestyle

studies are steadily surging in sociological work.

Giddens (2001) observed thus one of the main areas of debate

concentrates on the relative importance of individual variables such as

lifestyle, behavior, diet, and cultural patterns against the environmental or

structural factors such as income distribution and property (p.145). And

more, “many of the conditions and illness for which individuals seek

alternative medical treatment seems to be the product of the modern age

itself”. He also noted “the growth of alternative medicine presents a

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number of interesting questions for sociologists to consider. First and

foremost, it is a fascinating reflection of the transformation occurring

within modern society” (p.143). However, Giddens Anthony did not

specify these transformations would entail what aspects.

Steve Taylor (1999:253) in chapter size writing on Health Illness

and Medicine observed that medicine and religion has connection and he

mentions thus –“there is also connection between sociological study of

medicine and religion. Some sociologists have argued that medicine has

taken over some of the social control functions that have traditionally

been associated with established religion and that in contemporary

societies the religious distinction between good and evil is being

increasingly replaced by the medical distinctions between healthy and

unhealthy”. Ramdev health initiative seemingly has placed back the

question of good and bad in matter of food culture and concept of sin in

behavioural context but he advanced his health agenda placing healthy

and unhealthy lifestyle. This agenda has chances of greater acceptance of

his eight-step/limbs yoga programme despite Hindu lifestyle as it is

designated.

Pescosolido et al. (2000) observed that medical sociology have

paid little attention to the agency-structure problem, yet it is clearly

central to theoretical discussions of health and lifestyles. This theoretical

framework is relevant and the researcher has taken note of this in which

health and lifestyles are closely inter-related where lifestyle is

independent variable and health is dependent.

Reddy Srinath K. (2006:21) see the interplay of social and

biological factors importance and records thus “the interplay of socio-

economic and biological factors is even more intimate and intricate in the

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so called lifestyle disorders………the lifestyle disorders are rapidly rising

in India, especially in the urban areas…” The researcher attempted the

social life situation regarding health in urban location of Kurukshetra.

L.G. Schiffman (2000:280) while counting the „other functions of

the family‟ mentions that family provides a lifestyle for its members

connecting it with consumer behavior saying “family lifestyle

commitments, including the allocation of time is greatly influencing

consumption patterns. For example, a series of diverse pressures on

moms has reduced the time that they have available for household

chores….”. The researcher derived lines to proceed in to attend the time

and resource allocations in accordance with the family lifestyle

commitments. However, Schiffman (2002) highlighted the changing

aspect of family in the sense that individualism is developed there and the

meaning of togetherness turning to „each person doing his/ her own

thing‟. Indian family has collectivist survivals still in urban areas and the

male heads of the family along with wives have lasting influence on rest

of the members. The researcher sees family in this perspective. Schiffman

as pointed out a very important and interesting instance to which the

author came across the findings of The Trends Research Institute about

“VOLUNTARY SIMPLICITY” among the top ten lifestyle trends of the

1990s where 15% consumers studied were seeking a simpler lifestyle

with reduced emphasis on ownership and possessions and accepting

favour credit cards, smaller homes in less populated communities but all

it simply because they were seeking new “reduced”, less extravagant

lifestyle by choices enjoying less stressful and lower salary career willing

to take 20% pay cut in return for working favour hours. These consumers

were the followers of a particular religion. Our yoga practitioners taken

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for study are having faith in Hindu asceticism as a value. This is to see

whether they are with voluntary simplicity in living.

Dr. Uton Muchtar Rafei the regional director, W.H.O. for South

East Asia in his speech made at second international conference on

lifestyle and health at New Delhi, 1999 observed that unhealthy lifestyle

of people is resulted in difficult non-communicable diseases because of

junk food without nutritive value, cigarette consumption, alcohol use and

non- exercising members. He pointed out that some multinationals driven

out of Western countries were expanding their business in developing

countries and risking health hazards. There should be taught „a range of

alternative positive behavior choices‟ for individuals and family groups.

Ramdev emphasizing holistic Indian system of health without

much chemicalizing bodies seems relevant to represent the unscrupulous

agencies in the field of health deserve a return back. The researcher is

keen to highlight the positive behavior choices leading to healthy

lifestyle.

Glenn Laverack (2004) noted an ascendanttendency in health

sector as he mentioned thus “lifestyle and behaviours became

increasingly central to health promotion in 1970s. During this period

health promoters recognized that individuals‟ behaviours and lifestyle

could directly influence their own health and the health of others”. In

very recent years the lifestyle variable on health appeared as most

important in the eyes of physicians, surgeons and the government itself

throughout the world recognizing the lifestyle factor important in difficult

diseases caught attraction of yoga, Ayurveda and other Naturopathy. Man

came out with their agenda of lifestyle even the Sadhus and religious

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preachers also made some dent striking in lifestyle in their best wishes for

the people seeking healthy life as they needed.

Keith Tone and Sylvia Tilford (1990/1994) while focusing on

health education and factors of its effectiveness observed and counted the

lifestyle as one important factor in health. “Health and illness are

considered to result from the interplay of four key influences: genetic

factors, the environment, lifestyle and medical services”.

Nobel Laureate Rajendra Pachauri, the president of Inter-

Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) advises that the, “life-

style changes would also help to combat climate change‟ and he

suggested to shun meat, a lifestyle item, to save the environment as

necessary for human health (The Times of India 9th

September, 2008).

Journal of American Medical Association, for example, reported that

poor diet and physical inactivity caused 400,000 deaths in the United

States in 2000, accounting for 16.6% of all deaths, second only to tobacco

(18.1%). Recent estimates also suggest that 97 million adults in the

United States are overweight or obese. The trend has clearly been

upward; in the last two decades mean body weights have increased by

nearly 10%, and clinical obesity has nearly doubled in prevalence.

The personal decision making by the actor/agency usually affects

the family process and the lifestyle of total family. The yoga

practitioners/agencies in the research area are patriarchs of their families

so they were taken to focus upon. This approach about respondents is

rooted in the comments made by Vasundhara M.K. and Basavthappa

B.T. (1998) they mention, “there are also elements of personal decision

making that enter into an individual family lifestyle regardless of income.

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Today the experts in India and abroad in the field of medicine and

health have come to categorize diseases with reference to lifestyle that

means some of the diseases are caused due to wrong/unhealthy lifestyle.

Unhealthy lifestyle syndrome concept subsumes many ill choices and

selections in the course of life. And more U.N. along with W.H.O.

expressed great concern for lifestyle diseases like heart disease, obesity,

cancer, diabetes, lung disease etc. after a Summit on health with special

note of AIDS in 2001 (The Hindu: 19th September, 2011 and 2

nd May,

2012). Similar way, the Madhya Pradesh chapter of Indian Orthopedic

Association discussed at length the relationship of lifestyle and bone

ailments wherein 35% patients has shown reduced density of bones due

to changing lifestyle and food selections say burgers, pizzas especially

the villain at will (The Hindu 17th

October, 2011).

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

The review of literature has been done on the line of categorizing

of factors in development, of social movement including health

movement and lifestyle signification.

Dube S.C. (1988) in his book Modernism and Development: The

Search for Alternative Paradigms had highlighted the discrepancies in the

approach of development in backward and traditional countries like India

and that was its lopsided development with bias to G.D.P. indicators and

the ignoring of social factors – the caste factor in backwardness, social

factors of quality of life and socio- cultural values including the health

and the hunger aspect.

Furthering the agenda of health and education as promoting factors

to economic growth via economic opportunities to be caught with the

support of health services and education deprived sections of Indian

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society, Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze (1995) emphasized their value as

these have intrinsic, instrumental personal roles in sharing the benefits of

development. They called these factors as social variables. The fact

behind Punjab and Haryana progress on economic front remained health

and education programmes especially after it‟s carving out in 1966.

Otherwise, Haryana has been a traditional Hindu society.

The government or its official movements in the field of

environment, health and education kept aside, the private actors and

agencies besides them took interest in the development of backward

regions and sections. The social movements have been one tactical

element in democratic state and the movements have been raised and

found working around socio-economic issues.

Rao M.S.A. (1979) edited a book on Social Movements in India

comprising articles covering the different regional and sectoral areas of

national life that included peasant movement, women movement, tribal

movement, naxalbari, backward classes‟ movement included Akhand

Mahoyog Sangha and Students movement even. More or less these

movements were of old types emerged in early era of independent India

ended upto 1970s. These movements were targeting totality of society or

parts of total society that aimed at seeking improvement or liberation of

sections. Rao dealt with the conceptual problems in the study of social

movements that are: - (a) problem of definition and classification (b)

problems related to emergence (c) problem related to the formulation of

identities and ideologies (d) problem of collective mobilization (e)

organization, leadership, internal dynamics routinization and (f) problems

concerning the nature of the consequences for the changes in the wider

society and culture.

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He emphasized that social movements belong mainly to the domain

of history so historical approach must be applied in the study. However,

diverse techniques to record the event and dimension of a movement can

be applied.

Shah Ghanshyam (2005) in his edited book Social Movements in

India presented kaleidoscopic view of conventional social movements

like peasant, tribal, dalit, backward caste, students, industrial workers and

women‟s movement. He referred some theories of social movements as

theory of relative deprivation, structural functional and mobilization. He

observed that most of the movements are ideologically organized while

some others are focused movements with non-institutionalized collective

action such as protest, agitation, satyagreh, gheraos denying to agitations

and protest a status of social movement in strict sense. He endorsed the

new phase of „New Social Movements‟ as the phrase is used in

„contemporary discourse‟ among social scientists and activists. He

counted under „New‟ social movements the women‟s, environmental,

identity, peace movement, attributing some social movements the result

of postmodern society. Shah endorsed the views of some social scientists

while characterizing NSMs as non-political, non-economic but cultural.

Kiger Alice M. (1995) attempted to clarify the subjective and

objective aspect of health from individualist angle while exploring Judeo-

Christian tradition of health as wholeness and contained with idea of

blessedness or salvation, Greek and Roman health ideas with concept of

well being, health and happiness were found closely related. Many

modern medicines also reflect the synthesis of such ideas including

W.H.O. one. Author‟s book The Teachings for Health incorporated the

question of planning for health, prevention of disease - primary,

secondary and tertiary. Primary prevention includes sociological factors

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such as healthy lifestyle, diet, exercises, safe sex etc. Kiger interestingly

elaborated the theoretical underpinnings measuring the points of

consultation by patients running under risks with 270 cases of Respiratory

and infectious disease while consulting on Cancer14, Obesity 13,

Diabetes 7 and Iron Deficiency 5. The figures are in the year 1987.

Harold G. Koenig et.al. (2001) focused on health behavior in U.S.

people linking the religion and health where nature of diet, sex behavior,

smoking and taking alcohol and drugs were influenced by religious

affiliations. They made hypothesis between religion and healthy practices

as he took between Jews, African- American and Buddhists and

Mormons were opting vegetarian diet, Mormons prohibited alcohol and

cigarettes. They referred some sort of specific behavior like sexual

practices; sleep pattern, driving, adventures, exercising including

spirituality based exercise program as indicators of lifestyle. Authors

endorsed the findings of Parfrey (1976) surveying cigarette smoking habit

and the belief in God. The survey suggested that frequency of church

attendance with God concept was inversely related with cigarette

smoking as a lifestyle item, in 84% cases of men and 94% cases of

women. They also highlighted the cost of Medicare was increasing

tremendously which led the self-care activities to grow in people.

Hegedus Zsuzsa (1990) in his analytical paper on Social

Movements and Social Change with reference to „New Civil Initiative‟

contented that New Social movements appeared globally in 1980s to face

new challenges e.g. peace movement for security issue, anti-apartheid for

foreign policy issue and campaign against hunger in Africa for

development issue; all are emancipatory in nature. Social movements in

1970s in Europe depicted pessimistic paradigm while in 1980s the

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movements were of positive nature. He also observed that the „newness‟

of the field of intervention was an important element in defining New

Social Movements (NSMs). New movements in eighties are basically

global or transnational on different issues attracting civil society

intervention principled on „thinking globally, acting locally‟, managing

individual and collective destiny in autonomous manner.

Nash June (2005) edited a volume Social Movements

accommodating a great diversity of „new‟ types of social movements.

The volume includes the movements of political, economic, territorial,

feminist, peace, identity, human civil society and health movements.

Nash summarized the features of New Movements while dealing with

theoretical model and practical aspects of movement appeared during the

sixties to eighties as he also referred the work of Alain Touraine 1971,

Chantle Mouffe 1985, and Alberto Melucci 1989. The New Movements

found incorporating cultural issues as central to the motivating logic of

society. These movements reject base/superstructure dichotomies of

nature/culture and female/male. He observed that New Social Movements

(NSMs) theoreticians identify new actors in new movements. The new

leaders embodied the „muted demands‟ of diverse groups as women,

ethnic and religious. In these, focus is shifted from collective base to

individual actors. However, indigeneism is the ideological ground in

which ethnic elite „set the parameters‟ for inter-ethnic discourse.

Taylor Steve (2000) while identifying key areas of social research

listed in the order deviance and sickness emphasized the significance of

social aspect of health and illness with interactionist approach to deviance

prescribed for the study. While endorsing the views of Dahlgren and

Whitehead 1991 he included general, socio-economic, cultural

conditions, living and working conditions, social and community

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influence and individual lifestyle factors covering different age, sex and

hereditary factors as given. He found that health risk and inequalities is

more a consequence of „lifestyle and behavioural choices‟. Sedentary

lifestyle, high alcohol consumption and a poor diet of refined

convenience food appeared more prevalent among the working classes,

which is under high health risks.

Giddens Anthony (2001) dedicated one full chapter on Health and

Illness to his book Sociology 4th

edition. He observed that in many

industrialized societies over the last decade showed a surge of interests in

the potential of alternative medicine and the number of alternative

medicine practitioner and the clients is growing tremendously. As Jan

Mason‟s case he referred who‟s Allopathic doctor shows helplessness in

her illness and Homeopath came forward to recover her health. Similar

experiences are increasing about Allopathy and people are rejecting this

bio-medical model, which reject body total. He identified some questions

for sociologists to consider. The questions related to the variety of

sources of information and the freedom of choices of people. The turning

of individuals into health consumers and more, another issue of interest to

sociologist relate to the changing nature of health and illness in the late

modern period where insomnia, anxiety, stress, fatigue depression and

chronic pain caused by arthritis, cancer and other diseases are all on the

rise in industrial society as concomitant. He forecasted that alternative

medicine is unlikely to overtake „official‟ health care altogether;

indications are that its role will continue to grow. He attributed lifestyle

as an individual variable to health conditions. And he provides

individuals a central focus, which is more responsible for his health

opting for a safer lifestyle rather than gross medicalization undertaken by

welfarist governments.

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Laverack Glenn (2004) focused his attention on health promotion

and the practices. He generated and referred many concepts and

approaches for the analysis of health promotion taking the latter as a

movement. Going along with empowerment perspective for community

health highlighted the role of community health promoters. Creating and

resisting changes by adopting analytical approach he supplemented his

presentation with some case studies made out in the area of heart, health

and domestic violence. To empower these vulnerable groups he suggested

a model involving the elements of participation, leadership,

organizational structure, problem assessment, resource mobilization and

program management etc.

While focusing on promotion of mental health Mittlmark M.B.

and others (2005) dealt with the concept, evidence and practice of

mental health. He emphasized that health promotion is an emerging field

of action. He attributed the lifestyle as the responsible factor of health. He

also endorsed the W.H.O. 2002 where the latter noted that minority ethnic

groups were the disadvantaged groups in health care and indicated other

factors like economic, social, physical and environmental important as

well. Health promotion discourse, they found, as diverse and related to

politics, viewing some health discourses are powerful discourses some

not. The authors prescribed the health promotion strategy aiming at

improving health related lifestyles of all citizens of Canada. Canada has

been considered at innovative path with better results. They emphasized

much on „healthy lifestyle‟.

Reddy Srinath K. (2006) of A.I.I.M.S. Delhi focused his attention

on public health policy highlighted the socio-economic determinants of

health and the policies. He attributed lifestyle disorders that matter in

infectious and other diseases in urban and rural areas as well in India.

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Unhealthy habits like tobacco use, wrong food, and irrelevant

consumption behavior were the cause of diseases heart problem

especially. He cited the e.g. of Finland which had the highest heart attack

related death till 1970 that later came to reduce the problem through the

health education program by altering the nutrient composition of

manufactured food. The author recommended the government action to

extend the mass health education programmes, regulation of industries

and promoting healthy choices.

Mark Edberg (2007) described the behavior related to obesity and

its consequences (diabetes, cardiovascular health problems). Overweight

and obesity are the two major health problems in USA. He made the US

data on obesity and cancer as basis to explain the real causes of these

diseases. Dietary deficiency and physical inactivity are two true major

factors responsible to obesity deaths. He concluded that people‟s behavior

cause rather than biological factors of cardiac and diabetic problem in

US. Healthy food, healthy attitude and beliefs are important for better

health the value of cross cultural literature on food and eating was also

source of health knowledge. Extensive marketing of unhealthy food

products (fast food included), unrestrained eating, lack of exercise,

excessive reliance on vehicles or transport, sedentary lifestyle, eating

outside home and advertisement by food industry are the subject of social

choices that requires to be altered if health is real concern for one.

Niradhar and Devkinandan (2008) in their editorial using

medical terminology pleaded for integration of spiritual health in public

health system of India while admitting body and mind the two

inseparable elements of human being. They expressed concern of the

absence of spiritual approach to health and assuming that human being is

spiritual being. They identified the religious spirituality as positive

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contributor to integrated health concept. However, they suspect that

Spiritual Health alone proves sufficient for the cure of disease but they

find it as help to feel one better. Spirituality they meant self-realization,

self-actualization, inner fulfillment etc. Maintaining a spiritual

intelligence and spiritual quotient into practice can restore spiritual

health. The duos are convinced that India has a great treasure to supply

the spiritual health resources. Yoga, they found, having 5000 year old

roots and has prophylactic, promotive and curative potentials as proved

through experimental studies.

In an another paper size article on the positive perspectives of

health Pareek Rekha Shyodan Singh (2008) emphasized the role of

lifestyle and spirituality for positive health and found that healthy

lifestyle combined with spirituality significantly contributed to maintain

such health as ingredient of good health i.e. healthy lifestyle, healthy

sleep, balanced diet prescribed under Yogic instruction were ensuring

better mental health. They covered positive, promotional, psychological

health and well being of human. They found changing of Gayatri Mantra,

enshrined in Vedas very functional as it provides internal strength. A test

was applied on 10 respondents from Devsanskriti Vishwavidhalyaya,

Haidwar. All were from humble and homogenous social background.

Lifestyle they meant as it refers to the general pattern of living and

behaving, diet, exercise, prayer, meditation and sleep etc. Healthy

lifestyle was health promoting and Unhealthy lifestyle was health

endangering that include smoking, drinking, taking unbalanced diet, lack

of exercise, irregular sleeping.

While focusing on health promotion as movement or the health

education Keith Tones and Sylvia Tilford(1994) identified ideology

element in that movement where production of meanings, signs and

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values in social life were remained in. The functions of ideology were

two – (i) justify adoption of a given model (ii) To serve as a basis for

attacking competitive models and associative practice. They analyzed

W.H.O‟s formulation of health promotion identifying its approach as

viewing holistic and positive, assuming health inequalities should be

removed first, health should be left to the medical practitioners and

people‟s health is not just an individual‟s responsibility.

Silvia, Mira and Shyam Mehta (1990) have produced a very

good commentary on practical Yoga erected by B.K.S. Iyengar, an Indian

Yog practitioner, working in America and other Western countries.

Iyengar developed his style of Yoga although it is again based on Astang

Yoga (Eight Limbs) of Patanjali, an ancient period saint, and expert on

Yoga. Authors covered value of Yoga, disciplines of Yoga, Yogacharya

Iyengar‟s life, Pranayam and Philosophy of Yoga. The work is the

exposition of Yoga knowledge and practice exponated by Iyengar. This

book is a presentation of discourse on Yoga seen in the context of

physical, mental and spiritual health of human soul. B.K.S. Iyengar is a

Yoga practitioner in his personal capacity that has his disciples in many

of world countries. The authors expounded in brief all limbs of Yoga -

Yam, Niyam, Asanas, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharna, Dhyam and

Samadhi with their further sophisticated components enshrined.

Singleton Mark (2010) while exploring the history of modern

yoga practice assessed yoga as international physical and cultural

movement and its impact on consciousness of Indian youth in 19th

and

20th century. But it was a holistic yoga which now has taken specific form

of posture yoga (asanas). He also cited that Hath yoga of Nath religious-

spiritual lineage, one of Hindu religion practice, giving magical instance

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to yoga. However, Vivekananda approach was asana-practice-free yoga

in his lifetime (1863-1902). He also referred transnational yoga as was

propositioned by De Michelis (2004) and Alter (2004). Singleton has

taken a big notice of B.K.S. Iyengar who since 1950s was in the West to

make them learn Patanjali based eight limbs yoga. The author added that

there have been different discourses of yoga available in Western

countries.

However, consumer behavior was the main plank of his efforts

with wider coverage of his study but Schiffman L.G. (2000) includes the

reference groups and family influences vide family lifestyles of Northern

America and Europe compared to Asia. One of the family functions was

the maintenance of family lifestyle with its commitments canvassing the

allocation of time and family purchases in togetherness. The lifestyle was

for him the decision strategy depending on voluntarisms of actors in

families that was in 1990s. He studied in 2000 that 15% of all boomers,

child taking birth after 2nd

World war, found opting for simpler lifestyle

that he called “Voluntary Simplicity” reducing willingly affluent lifestyle

to less extravagant lifestyle. He found the consumers with “vision” of

consumption somewhat distanced from real experiences. In this research

was needed to insert ideology and sensibilities of yoga practitioners‟-

consumers.

Brom, Bernard (2011) in his article size research piece was aimed

at to probe the factors of chronic disorders or the health dysfunctions. He

starts with lifestyle deformities causing ill health as a first phase of

developing unhealthy condition in the body. The phenomenon was “poor

lifestyle choices”. In the movement from health to diseases the

dysfunction was the second phase and the third phase was health

disorders that appear finally. So his integrative model pays attention to

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lifestyle changes “moving the dysfunctions back” to normal functions. So

this is the unilinear chain in the development of illness or diseases but

stipulating the reversal after lifestyle changes. The author believed that

alternative system of medicine could help a lot as complimentary to the

scientific model of medicine for health. The lifestyle factors he counted

as in negation of health thus – (i) incorrect food choices (ii) no or too

little exercise (iii) stress (iv) nutritional insufficiencies (v) toxins in the

environment (vi) drugs (vi) electromagnetic pollution and (vii) poor sleep

pattern.

Fultcher James and Scott (1999/2003) devoted a chapter on body

health and medicine focused obliquely on medicalization of society and

endorsed the view of Foucault that health concept was a matter of

changing discourse in times. They also showed health affairs in transition

from agriculture society to industrializing society and finally

industrialized society where the diseases acquired acute and aggravated

forms. They also referred asceticism influencing behavior between health

and illness.

State sponsored medicalization of society has been effect of the

day, which is operated under assumption of health and treatment of

Allopathy in Europe, America and elsewhere in civilized societies. As the

pathy serve as an indicator of civility and a product of civilized society

but it create dependence of people on state bodies creating a “Nation of

dependents” as Michael Senior with BruceViveash (1998) raised the

question of passive partnership in programmes but alternatively they

suggested that a New Right perspective was emerging since 1980s in

which individual‟s responsibility for their own health is to be theirs‟

instead of depending on state mechanism. New Right recognizes the

greater reliance on voluntary organization and the encouragement of self-

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reliance in matters of promotion of health. As a result of this perspective

adopted by U.S.A. private health insurance cases were raised to 11%

instead of cases in 1979. In India Ramdev sparked of health social

movement has such character that is of New Right perspective.

While contributing a theoretical article titled Journal of Health and

Social Behaviour of American Sociological Association William C.

Cockerham (2005) found a convergence of agency and structure

(Giddens) on health lifestyle. The purpose of this article was to examine

the debate agency versus structure as a framework for constructing a

healthy lifestyle theory since no such theory currently existed. He

emphasized that health in late modernity has become viewed as

achievement rather than health for granted. The situation of health and

lifestyle in late modernity „originates‟ from – (i) changes in disease

pattern, (ii) modernity and (iii) social identities. In Weber‟s time he saw

the lifestyle was a product of class position but now it is based on

knowledge and other arrangements of health. Here the life choices and

life chances are important and lifestyle equates with agency.

RESEARCH TRENDS IN HEALTH AND THE GAPS APPEARED

IN THE REVIEW:

The researcher has reviewed material available through the books

and journals pertaining to the subject of health lifestyle and social health

movements. On the basis of this review some research gaps appeared.

These gaps are listed here -

Lifestyle emerged as a single largest important variable on health

and illness as reported by medical experts.

And lifestyle has not been taken up as an element of change while

socio-cultural changes are attempted in Sociology.

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Lifestyle has been referred in the work of big authors but only in

casual manner and was linked to class positions of people where

lifestyle was a matter of either dysfunction or used in neutral term.

Sociology of health literature has pushed a break through to the

study of lifestyle treating it consequential both positively and

negatively and delinked from class status.

The review suggests that the role of religio-medical movement was

attempted very scarcely and scantly.

Lifestyle change again may serve as independent variable for

family-setting changes, which is a crucial social site of structural-

functional changes. So, a situation of action of double independent

variables stage wise is being attempted here which is scarcely dealt

elsewhere.

Yoga variety of new health social movement as alternative

medicine system still could not have been attempted in any

significant manner.

Ramdev‟s health discourse has not been attempted at all by

researchers from the sociology of health as sub discipline. Since

health social movement raised by Ramdev the adequate attention to

the effect on society should be a concern of research.