© 1975 Oxford University Press
research-article |
The Changing Distribution of Disease in Regionville
1 2Departments of Preventive Medicine and Community Health and Sociology, University of Rochester Rochester, New York 14642, U.S.A.
Reprint requests should be addressed to Dr. S. J. Kunitz
This survey is a partial replication study of a community with the fictitious name of Regionville which was first studied by Koos in the period 194650 (1). In the present paper, we are concerned only with that part having to do with the distribution of disease. Though differences in methods do not allow for a true replication, the indications are that social classes are much more similar in their reported experience of disability now than they were a generation ago. Sources of bias are examined, and it is suggested that differential perceptions of appropriate sick role behaviour may contaminate the findings. Moreover, the sample probably did not include a large enough number of the poverty-stricken populationwhich is a rather small proportion of the total populationto discover such differences as might in fact exist. It is concluded, however, that the findings do represent a real change in the distribution of disability in the population of Regionville.
Received 3 February 1975