Chapter Summary: The Relationship Between Race And Health

One’s environment does have an impact on one’s health, therefore race does impact one’s health environmentally not genetically.

“At age 65, white men in the highest-income families can expect to live 3.1 years longer than white men in the lowest-income families” (Tischler 383). Life expectancies varies among racial groups due to different leading causes of death in each race and the different incomes available to a group. According to several studies, African Americans are at a greater risk of dying from heart disease than whites, while whites are at a greater risk than Asians, Latinos, and Native Americans. Large racial and ethnic disparities exist in health due to poverty rates, diet, biological differences, and location. On a greater scale, minority groups tend to have less of an income than whites, which affect the type of medical care available for them. Also, dietary habits varies among racial groups. The African American culture consists of generally fattening food dating to centuries ago and is still persistent today. A Latino diet consists of beans, grains, and other less fattening foods. However, currently many of these racial groups begin to adapt to American diets that worsen their

African Americans are the third largest racial or ethnic population, totaling 13.2% of the United States population (CDC, 2015). Giger (2013) states, some health disparities associated with African Americans is due to discriminatory practices and inequalities in social, economic, and educational opportunities, rather than biological factors. Statistics identifies higher health disparities for this population reflected in overall mortality rates compared to other populations. According to the Office of Minority Health (2014), the adult mortality rate is higher in African Americans for heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, influenza, pneumonia, and diabetes, as well as higher rates of infant mortality. For instance, the overall adult mortality rate for African Americans is 860.5 per 100,000 population compared to 731.0 per 100,000 population in Caucasian Americans according to 2012 data (KFF, 2015).

Although there are a few “race related” diseases, such as sickle cell anemia, the illnesses that are killing the minority population are environment related, like Coronary Heart Disease. In a study done by Alan Goodman, he cites four important points about race and genetics:

Race-based health disparities are believed to exist because African Americans have poorer access to care, receive lower quality healthcare treatment, and have generally poorer health outcomes than whites. In addition, African Americans also receive poorer pain treatment.

Health care has been a major factor, which separates the minorities from the rest of the people. The awareness of racism will create an understanding for the inequality amongst black, white, men and women. Racism has impacted the health of African American women tremendously. African American women experience sexual and reproductive health issues. Research shows health issues are related to poverty, unemployment and limited education.

“African Americans have the worst health profile. Disparities in health status are well documented and widely known. However, research on race, ethnicity, and health is controversial. The reason for this is probably linked to the thorny role that race has played in American history and contemporary culture. Because of this history, race engenders emotion, and emotion is the antidote to rationality. Some have called for the end of research on race and health” (Isaac, L pg.

In chapter one of the “Minority Populations and Health: An Introduction to Health Disparities in the United States”, the authors goes into detail about the history of the relationship between the United States government. In the chapter, contains a historical background on how minorities played a significant part in understanding why health disparities exist and how they can be eliminated. Some examples of the historical background of racial/ethnic minorities are the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments in the U.S. Constitution, the Trail of Tears, The Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and The Civil Rights and Voting

In this chapter there are certain key points that can be distinguishable between gender and race in terms of health inequalities. This chapter has lots of comparisons made regarding gender between male and female, and race including aboriginals. The book demonstrated that research has shown that male and female differ in factors of health and their life expectancies. These studies indicate that men and woman go through different health illness and health risks. The same thing applies for aboriginals in Canada, but it is slightly lower due to their living conditions in poverty. The chapter also mentions socio-economic statues, which is basically the concept of the social class, it is mentioned

At the point when contrasted with whites, these minority bunches have higher rate of endless ailment, higher mortality and poor wellbeing results. Among the ailment particular cases of racial and ethnic variations in the united state is the tumor frequency rate among African Americans, which is 10% higher than among whites. Furthermore, grown up African Americans and Latinos have roughly double the danger as whites of creating diabetes. Minority likewise have higher rate of cardiovascular sickness, HIV/AIDS, newborn child mortality than whites.

Chapter one of Historical Aspects of Race/Ethnicity and Health focuses on eliminating health disparities and why they exist. In this chapter LeVeist gave an overview of history that helps understand health disparities. He discussed the Emancipation Proclamation and how it freed the Africans. He also discussed the 13,14,and15th amendment. The 13th amendment is when the end of slavery came about and was ratified in 1865. Health care and African Americans was also discussed. It is said that it is important to study minority health because it is “important to prepare the next generation of health professionals to work with and in minority populations. “(LaVeist, 2005, pp. 6-7). Placing humans by race was also discussed and LaVeist feels that

In the United States, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it is quite obvious that millions of people are not able to enjoy the benefits of our gross domestic product or national income. Health is one of the aspects that remain stagnant. Various people with different ethnicities face many of the same health risks, but they also have fears unique to their racial, ethnic, cultural upbringings. To gain an understanding of these modifications and formulation of appropriate responses requires an individual to study more in depth their surroundings. Disparities in access to health care or in the quality of services within existing health care delivery systems require interventions that are social, economic, environmental, or occupational. Some investigators have examined concerns related to stigma, social support, lack of a home, and poor cultural understanding by providers. Along with a plethora of researchers who have lots of knowledge on this issue, I wanted to further investigate how socioeconomic factors have a huge mark on race and health disparities in the United States.

Somewhere you have heard or seen with your own eyes — that many Black Americans have a problem with obesity. According to the books read, media etc., Blacks were 1.4 times more likely to be obese than whites. For women, those numbers are even worse. African-American women have the highest rates of obesity in America, with about 80 percent of Black women coming in as either overweight or obese.

While a majority of African Americans schools received inadequate funding and inefficient teaching methods. White people also tend to have considerably higher health results than black people. Studies have shown that, “School quality may affect health through several significant mechanisms” (Frisvold, Golberstein). These mechanisms are employment, cognition, and social psychological resources. To receive proper employment you must have the proper education. An education allows the employee to obtain higher paying jobs, which allows him/her the privilege of obtaining sufficient medical care, a sheltered work environment, and a stress free environment. Education supports good cognitive ability, enabling you to make wise health care decisions and contributes to how fast you retain information when it comes to new scientific advances. Social psychological resources, support behavior that helps your body instead of making destructive decisions such as smoking nicotine, for example. With adequate social psychological resources available, one would know that there are no positive outcomes of smoking cigarettes, only lung cancer and possibly addiction. After desegregation occurred, black and white schools managed to maintain a similar level of quality, but some schools that were a majority African American still lagged behind. Today, educational inequality is still common even in multiracial schools, but especially in

Racism is a key factor that contributes to inequities and inequalities of health outcomes. The Williams Model contains the basic cause of racism and it helps make the connection between historical events and poor health outcomes for Pacific peoples. The Williams Model has five main components which entail both social and biological factors making it one of the most established and holistic health models. This essay will apply the example of the Pacific Dawn Raids to the Williams Model to explore how social determinants impact health outcomes of Pacific peoples in New Zealand.