Chapter Summary: The Relationship Between Race And Health

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

“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

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

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.

Cardiovascular disease, mainly coronary heart disease and stroke, is the leading cause of death among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States. A disproportionate number of people in minority and low-income populations die or become disabled from cardiovascular disease. The death rate for coronary heart disease for the nation decreased by 20% from 1987 to 1995, but for blacks, the overall decrease was only 13 percent. The coronary heart disease mortality rate for Asian Americans was 40% lower than whites, but 40% higher for blacks in 1995. High blood pressure and hypertension can increase the risk for coronary heart disease, and it has been shown that racial minorities have higher rates of hypertension, tend to develop hypertension at an earlier age, and are less likely to receive treatment for high blood pressure. Also, only 50% of American Indians, 44% of Asian

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.

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.

Racism imposes additional health issues on people of color because it is an unnecessary stressor in their every day lives. “African Americans die earlier and have higher rates than whites of many chronic diseases across the social gradient” (Unnatural Causes, 2008). Increased cortisol levels, which are caused by stress have been linked to high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and other health problems.

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.

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.

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.

Being of the racial minority or of the lower social status has negative influence on longevity and a persons’ overall health. This is due to the decrease in the amount of resources the individual has. The individuals will usually lack health care due to lack of knowledge or income, usually don’t reach their nutritional daily needs due to the same reasons. Some issues arise with an individuals’ working conditions. All of this has a negative impact on a persons’ overall health and longevity.

The obesity rate differs among different races and ethnic groups. It is estimated that 78.8 percent of Hispanics are overweight, while 39.1 percent are obese. (NIDDK 2012) In blacks, 76.7 are overweight, while 49.5 percent are considered obese. (NIDDK 2012) About 66.7 percent of whites are overweight, while 34.3 percent are considered obese. (NIDDK 2012) Extreme obesity affects 13.1 percent of blacks, 5 percent of Hispanics, and 5.7 percent of whites. (NIDDK 2012) Asian Americans are much lower rate of obesity than other racial and ethnic groups with only 11.6 percent of them being diagnosed with obesity. (NIDDK 2012)