Abstract
In Denmark, people are expected to take responsibility for their health, not least as their bodies age and they experience signs of physical or mental decline. Drawing on fieldwork among older Danes, I illustrate that an excessive focus on health gives rise to social and structural controversies and disparities, linking ideas of healthy behavior at the individual level with the societal framing of disease and aging. I argue that this emphasis contributes to the unwarranted diagnosis of bodily variations that naturally occur in the aging process, a phenomenon referred to as overdiagnosis, adding to a broader medicalization of old age.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Medical Anthropology |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Pages (from-to) | 310-323 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISSN | 0145-9740 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 16 May 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Study 1 was supported by the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education (Erhvervsphd 4019-00008); Helsefonden; Region Sj\u00E6lland, Danske Patienter; Fonden for Almen Praksis and Forskningsenheden for Almen Praksis. Study 2 is funded through my allocated research time in my tenure position at Roskilde University. Some of the arguments in this article were presented in an early version at the SfAA conference 2024 in Santa Fe (https://www.appliedanthro.org/application/files/8517/1078/0509/SfAA2024_Paper_Abstracts.pdf p. 48). Parts of this article have been translated and checked for language using CHATgpt. As per Danish research regulations, ethical review only applies to research projects in the field of health sciences. A warm thanks to my interlocutors for welcoming me into your lives and sharing your stories. I am also grateful for the comments I have received from the reviewers and editors for adding new aspects and ideas which helped me improve my argument.
Keywords
- Aging
- Denmark
- ethnography
- medicalization
- overdiagnosis