Health Disparities In Connecticut

In today’s society, there are many different factors that can contribute to one’s overall health and well-being. Since there are so many different factors that can affect one’s health, there are inequalities that exist among people and this is knows as health disparity. "Health disparities are differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States” (Nhlbi.nih.gov, 2015). Health disparities can be associated with factors such as: socioeconomic status, education, gender, race, ethnicity, age, mental health, and religion. There are certain health problems that can affect different groups more than others, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS (Surgeongeneral.gov, 2015). One example of a specific population in the United States that is affected by health disparities is the African American Population. While African Americans are affected by various health disparities, one that affects this population more prominently is heart disease.

Health disparities endure tenacious issues in the United States of America, setting certain groups at higher risk of being uninsured, limited access to care, facing a poorer quality of care, and overall negative health outcomes. The high incidence of health disparities reflects the range of individual, social, economic, racial/ethnic and environmental magnitudes. Among the minority groups, African-Americans disproportionately access health care and the health disparities clearly glow in the nationwide.

The United States is a melting pot of cultural diversity. For a country that was founded by individuals fleeing persecution, it has taken us many years to grant African-Americans equal rights, and even longer for those rights to be recognized. Despite all the effort to eliminate inequality in this country, health disparity among this minority group remains a significant issue. Research in this area has pointed to several key reasons for this gap that center on differences in culture, socioeconomics, and lack of health literacy.

Since asthma exacerbations in adolescence can lead to emergency room visits, hospitalizations, missed school and diminished health status, there was an evident need for effective asthma management for this population (Quaranta et al., 2014). Unfortunately, these rural adolescents with asthma, and their families, had difficulty determining when their asthma was poorly controlled; and unless the asthma symptoms were disruptive to family life, there was often little motivation for these individuals to seek medical care, thus increasing the risk of poor outcomes (Quaranta et al., 2014, p. 99). According

The United States is faced with multiple health disparities within the country that encompass many challenges for individuals when it comes to the fairness and access to health care. A health disparity is defined as the inconsistency of treatment between two different groups of individuals. Treatment that could be different could be seen as different care due to age, race, ethnicity, culture, or current socioeconomic status (Koh et al., 2012). Treatment may be different or delivered in different ways between literacy component individuals and illiterate individuals and be viewed as unequal care. Healthcare facilities must be cautious when providing care and be cautious of the health disparities that exist in order to provide equal and

The research on health disparities across the United States is still relatively new. For many within the medical field there are still many who focus on issues of disparities without addressing the structural issues at the base of those disparities. When it comes to interventions to address these disparities and inequalities, research is focused on the role of medical professionals with little research on community engagement and empowerment.

The United States is faced with multiple health disparities within the country that encompass many challenges for individuals when it comes to the fairness and access to health care. A health disparity is defined as the inconsistency of treatment between two different groups of individuals. Treatment that could be different could be seen as different care due to age, race, ethnicity, culture, or current socioeconomic status (Koh et al., 2012). Treatment may be harmful for individuals as a result of miscommunication that may be perceived the wrong way. Individuals with low health literacy do not understand the purpose of particular drugs or the name of one’s condition, which can further leave an individual vulnerable to harm. Individuals may sign consent they do not fully understand, and will receive unwanted care and procedures (Clark, 2011). Healthcare providers need to be aware of an individual’s level of understanding before harming the individual with irreversible procedures.

The attempted strategies will be discussed in their chronological order. First, Evans and his colleagues conducted a study to improve asthma care for minority children (African-American and Latino) in New York City in pediatric clinics serving children from low SES families. The study chose New York City Bureau of Child Health clinics and trained its clinic staffs about National Asthma Education and Prevention Program guidelines to diagnosis, manage, screen, and identify asthma cases in children and provide health education for their families. The authors found that after 2 years of intervention and follow-up, there were improvements in access, continuity, and quality of asthma care provided by clinics with trained staffs. This study demonstrated that professional

As of 2009, studies conducted by the CDC have shown that asthma impacts approximately one in every twelve people, and the numbers only continue to grow (CDC, 2011). Some of the most common symptoms can range anywhere from coughing (especially at night or during exercise), wheezing and chest tightness, to shortness of breath. Asthma is often a chronic condition and while many times it can present itself as being mild, it can also sometimes lead to death if a person suffers an asthma attack. Asthma can be genetic, but it can also be caused, as well as exacerbated by, environmental factors such as air pollution. Studies have shown that children living in the Bronx are experiencing asthma at levels eight times higher than the national average. In addition, rates of death from asthma are a whopping three times higher than the national average, and hospitalization rates at about five times higher.” (Ruppell, 2000). Asthma is not a disease that targets only one group of people, yet the Bronx still exhibits disproportionately high levels of asthma especially in neighborhoods that are poorer areas of the city. In fact, people from these poor areas are 21 times more likely to be hospitalized due to asthmatic conditions compared to people from more affluent parts of the city (Ruppell,

Minority health disparities continue to be a pervasive problem within the United States.The Institute of Medicine defines disparity as, “differences in treatment provided to members of different racial or ethnic groups that are not justified by underlying health conditions or preferences” (Snowden 526). Despite adjustments made to access-related factors, insurance and income, minorities still tend receive lower-quality health care than whites (Flores, Olsen and Tomany-Korman 183). According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Relatively little progress has been made toward the goal of eliminating racial/ethnic disparities” (Gronman and Ginsburg 226). In this paper, I will describe the different health disparities that racial, ethnic and sexual minorities experience throughout their lives. I will then discuss the policies health care providers and government entities have put in place in order to eliminate the disparities between minorities and whites.

I agreed Health disparities could be preventable if we educate the community about the resources and programs available to them. The affordable Care act offers Preventive medicine care such as cancer screening test, nutritional education, immunizations and tobacco screening among others. Preventive care are programs focus in the prevention and detection of illness at an early stage, when the treatment has a better outcome, however, the best way to maintain and prevent illness is by making healthy lifestyle choices. CDC report that millions of children, adolescent and infants in United States do not receive preventive care which lack them from achieving their full potential as individuals, some of the preventive care that children should receive are regular’s physical checkups, vaccinations, screening for depression, blood pressure checked, hearing, Flu vaccine and HIV test among

Asthmatic children miss three times as many school days and have 1.7 times the risk of learning disabilities as children without asthma; therefore, at risk for poor school performance (Portwood & Nelson, 2013). Approximately 9.2 million children younger than 18 years old have been diagnosed with asthma; 3.2 million or approximately 6 percent of children five to seventeen have had an asthma attack within the year (CDC, 2013). Asthma friendly schools make an effort to create a safe and supportive learning environment for students with asthma. Research and case studies looked at the best approaches to manage asthmatic children in schools and found schools that collaborate with asthma care clinicians to ensure care, schools that have strong administration that support school nurses and support asthma education for faculty and staff, and schools that support evaluation of school-based programs and use asthma action plans have fewer school absentees’ (CDC, 2013). School absenteeism may be related to poor academic performance, is costing to the parent due to lost wages from the inability to work, and schools receive federal funding for days attended, funding may be decreased (Carpenter, Lachance, Wilkin, & Clark, 2013).

Society fails to realize the serious effects asthma has on the body. Asthma is defined as an illness in which the airways are blocked or too narrow for air to pass through. Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often starts during early childhood. The United States alone has more than 25 million people known to have been born with or developed asthma. It is documented that approximately 7 million of these people are children. It isn 't evident why some people are infected with asthma and others are not, but it is quite clear that due to a combination of environmental and genetic factor that asthma is not attracted to a certain group of people. Some environmental factors that cause this illness include air pollutants, airborne allergies, pollen, animal dander, and the list goes on.The physical effects can range from a simple cough as far as not being able to breathe at all. This can cause major damage to the lungs as time persist. It is more common for younger children from the ages of 5-14 to show more consistent side effects of this illness. As these children grow older their asthma attacks lessen as their abdomen expands from age. There are numerous medications that can are prescribed each year in efforts to control the spontaneous symptoms of this disease.

Asthma is not a preventable disease but it can be controlled and symptoms prevented. Educating asthma sufferers and their families on signs and symptoms, as well as triggers is the most effective primary preventative intervention against asthma. The best way to diagnose asthma is with a lung function test, complete medical history and physical exam and other diagnostic tests. For adults and children, preventative annual medical visits allows the asthma sufferers to learn about the disease and risks. It also provides them an opportunity develop an action plan so exposure can be minimized. Furthermore, there may be physiological factors to consider that trigger an attack not just outside factors like allergens, pets, or chemicals. (Beasley,

Asthma is a chronic airway disease that can be difficult to manage, resulting in poor outcomes and high costs (Kuhn et al., 2015). It is characterized by episodes of expiratory airflow obstruction, which occurs in response to multiple stimuli or triggers. Asthma is a lifelong disease, and symptoms include wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. Attacks can be mild, moderate, severe, or even life threatening and limit a person’s way of life (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2011). There is no known cure for asthma, but symptoms can be controlled by avoiding the triggers and taking prescribed medicines that prevent or minimize symptoms.