Essay On Factors Of Health Disparities

It was a regular night in June when she made her way down the Longfellow neighborhood in Minneapolis. It was a quiet, working-class environment that she was familiar with and she was just making her way down to the commercial strip with her roommate, Latavia Taylor; her boyfriend, and two of her close gay friends. According to an interview with the Rolling Stone, this was fashion student, Cece McDonald’s makeshift family.

Although the overall health of the United States population has improved, large disparities in terms of health outcome and access to healthcare exist between wealthier Americans and their “poorer counterparts primarily because of differences in education, behavior, and environment.” (Longest, 2015, p8). Access to health care and other services is associated with wealth, employment, education and power. Higher education, which translates to higher income, allows people to buy healthier food, live in safer, cleaner neighborhood and access the best healthcare possible. Power on the other hand permits people to secure health for themselves and their families, while others without power have limited or no access to the resources they need to be

One of the reasons I believe that Macbeth is a tragic hero is because he is of noble stature. This is true because he is a military general and the Thane of Glamis. If you are a military general you are a high rank and usually highly respected and have a large amount of responsibility. He is also a thane, which is someone who owns a large amount of land that is usually granted by the king. Thanes are also usually leaders of clans who are in control over a large amount of people.

. Addressing health inequalities and health care is not only important from the point of view of social justice, but also to improving the health of all Americans by improving the quality of care and health of their children. People. Moreover, the difference in health is expensive. An analysis estimates that about 30% of total direct medical expenses for blacks, Hispanics and Asians are excessive costs due to inequalities in health. The difference also leads to economic losses due to indirect costs related to loss of productivity and premature mortality. (Artiga,

Health disparities amongst African-Americans continue to destabilize not just the various communities but the health care system as a whole. Minority groups especially African-Americans are more probable to agonize from certain health illnesses, have higher mortality rates and lower life expectancy than another other race in the nation. Health disparities are complex and incorporate lifestyle choices, socioeconomic factors such as income, education and employment and access to care services. For the elimination of health disparities within the African-American community, there requires a need for equivalent access to health care and cultural suitable health ingenuities.

Despite the advancement of modern medicine, there are still disparities to be found within the United States healthcare system. Disparities in healthcare can and will affect anyone. David S. Jones explains in an article published in the American Journal of Health that brings awareness to the disparities that Native Americans have experienced within our healthcare systems. Many influences are said to be the root of the problem of these disparities such as economic and political interests. This is supported by examining various populations like the Indian populations, who found themselves “living in rural poverty suffered terribly from disease” (Jones 2006).

Racial segregated healthcare is not new in America it can be traced back to beginning of slavery. “The emergence of theories such as polygenism, and movement such as anthropometry, phrenology, and craniometry in the early 1800’s as early as the Jim Crow laws enacted between 1876 and 1965 only helped to reinforce these disparities.” (Source 3) Also between 1876 and 1965 laws are created equal facilities for minority’s black and white creating it prohibited for minority physicians to follow or receive education in white facilities. (Source 3) In 2011 reports on healthcare quality and disparities, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) finds that low-income individuals and people of color experience more barriers to care and receive poor quality care. (Source

Although the United States is a leader in healthcare innovation and spends more money on health care than any other industrialized nation, not all people in the United State benefit equally from this progress as a health care disparity exists between racial and ethnic minorities and white Americans. Health care disparity is defined as “a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social or economic disadvantage…adversely affecting groups of people who have systematically experienced greater social and/or economic obstacles to health and/or clean environment based on their racial or ethnic group; religion; socioeconomic status; gender; age; mental health; cognitive, sensory or physical disability; sexual orientation or gender identity; geographic location; or other characteristics historically linked to discrimination or exclusion” (National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities [NPAEHD], 2011, p. 3). Overwhelming evidence shows that racial and ethnic minorities receive inferior quality health care compared to white Americans, and multiple factors contribute to these disparities, including geography, lack of access to adequate health coverage, communication difficulties between patients and providers, cultural barriers, and lack of access to providers (American College of Physicians,

Barriers in health care can lead to disparities in meeting health needs and receiving appropriate care, including preventive services and the prevention of unnecessary hospitalizations (HealthyPeople.gov, 2012). In their 2008 annual report, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality lists several disparities’ in health care. They report that racial and ethnic minorities in the United States

classes are perhaps not as clear as they used to be. But it is just as

The four overall health goals for the nation are enumerated by the CDC in Health People 2020. They include 1) less disease, 2) longer lives, 3) healthy environments and 4) eliminating health disparities (i.e., people in some segments of the population have greater health risk than others). A) How does drug abuse relate to this fourth goal and B) what steps could be taken to reduce some of these substance use disparities in the U.S.? (10 points)

The Behavioural or Cultural Explanation: places emphasis on the individuals and the consequences of their behaviour, when they choose to eat, drink and live healthily the inequalities will be reduced.

Sexual and social stigmas largely affect the health of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population. While many reports from the Institute of Medicine, Healthy People 2020 and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recognize a need to improve the quality of health care, barriers still remain. LGBT patients face legal discrimination, especially with insurance, a lack of social programs, and limited access to providers competent in LGBT health care. Although the Affordable Care Act increased access to care for LGBT patients, unless these patients feel understood by providers and develop trust in the system, they are not likely to utilize care. Healthcare providers need to recognize how these vulnerabilities, as well as persistent racism and stigma linked to sexual orientation and gender identity, make the healthcare needs of LGBT patients more challenging than the general population. Healthcare providers also need to promote cultural competence within this population and broaden their clinical lens to include health promotion, in addition to addressing concerns mentioned above within the population. Additionally, medical and nursing schools need to ensure that future providers are adequately educated by including information about this population in the curriculum.

Within the United States, there are substantial inequalities between the places and people. The rural community is one of such significant inequalities and health care disparities. With approximately one-sixth of the population in the United States of America living in rural areas, it is necessary to address the social and economic conditions accountable for the health disparities and inequalities among this vulnerable population.

Education is an important aspect of life no matter what age you are at and many seniors continue to want to learn as they get older. For older adults to be able to pursue education there are some obstacles that they may face, one of which is long walks from the parking spaces to the classroom and the cost of parking can deter them when even one class requires you to go to campus multiple times a week (Novak, 2012). A third reason is that they may have memories from when they were in school when they were younger (Novak, 2012). Not all older people go back to school to earn more money, some are focused on helping others with their education and not worried about the money (Novak, 2012). Throughout this paper I will look at some of the major theories of aging and how they coincide with education as an older person, staring with the life span development model.