Health Disparities Of African Americans

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.

Despite vast advancements in healthcare African-American men lack appropriate necessities when it comes to health care. Continuous efforts to bridge the gap among African American men with prostate cancer still remains high in the United States. Evidence shows how disproportionate this ethnic population leads in both incidence and mortality rate concerning social determinants of health, as well as health disparities. Major key factors that contribute to this health disparity among African Americans men are low socioeconomic status (SES) and being medically offered inadequate services. According to Richardson et al. (2004), "Prostate cancer (PCa) is most common and the second leading cause of cancer death among American men." However, prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates are higher in African-American men, as compared to other race. One of the main barriers hindering the care of this ethnic population is the lack of knowledge. As an Advanced Nurse Practitioners, it is crucial to identify areas in SDoH and health disparities that affect African American men health. False perceptions, misunderstanding and improper information must be replaced with factual information, and communicated accurately (Richardson et al. 2004).

A reformation of the achievement levels of African-Americans starts through the investment of high achieving mentors, families, and friends. It begins with African-Americans straying away from statistical choices, such as placing improper value on education, community involvement, and health. The overcoming of such adversities involved with being an African-American woman has propelled my career goals. By striving to become a pharmacist and non-profit leader I am showing that the accomplishments of African-American women in health and leadership are not abnormal. One of the major causes of minority health disparities is the lack of minority health providers. As a healthcare provider, I will be better able to promote wellness in minority populations.

If everyone in the United States is treated equal, then why are Americans facing health disparities regarding to race? Race has always been an issue in this country. When it comes to the healthcare system, not all Americans receive the same outcomes or came services as others. Most Americans due to race receives unfair healthcare treatment because they’re not getting appropriate medical attention, they’re more likely to do die based on their illness, and if they’re uninsured they can’t receive any medical attention. This argument is going to be based on Americans who face these health disparities in the U.S regarding to mental health disorders, breast cancer, and the people who are uninsured.

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.

Growing up, my dad always told me that we were the lucky ones. At the age of 15, he escaped from Vietnam, leaving with only the clothes on his back. Saigon fell to the north, sending people in a final desperate exodus. He would say “If the mines didn’t kill me, the bullets surely would. If the bullets didn’t kill me, drowning would and if drowning didn’t kill me, dehydration would.” In spite of the possibilities faced by thousands like him, my dad made it onto the US Navy ship. While my parents had escaped the war, we faced a different conflict in acclimation. My dad struggled to keep a job. We could barely afford rent, nevertheless see a doctor. For some people, “health disparities” can be described in terms of statistics and terms like “preventative care” and “optimizing accessibility”. For my family, “health disparities” was just a part of life in America. It was the uselessness I felt as I watched my dad work 80 hours a week at several minimum wage jobs just so my brother and I could focus on school. It was the frustration I felt spending hours in vain researching ways to ease my mother’s pain as she suffered from years of untreated stomach ulcers. It was the worry I felt knowing that, despite ranking among the top 10% of students in my high school class, I still could not afford to go to college. In spite of everything, I am one of the lucky ones as I was able to fully fund my college education in scholarships and grants. I am lucky because these experiences taught me

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (US 1776)” One of the prime concepts of the constitution was the upholding of equality. Our ancestors believed that everyone was equal and thus should all be able to pursue the same basic luxuries equally. Everyone should be able to pursue life and accordingly be able to purse a means of protecting and promoting this life through good health. Health care is the means by which we seek out medical treatment. In a study conducted by the New York Times, it was concluded that there have been differences in health outcomes of African

There are several race traits and risk factors from African-American such as Heart Disease, Cancer, Stroke, Diabetes, and Pneumonia/Influenza. Also they have those risk factors due to cultural difference diet and exercise such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, end stage renal disease, dementia, diabetes, and certain cancers. Especially, diabetes has more frequency reason of death among Black elders than in other ethnic people except American Indians (Health and Health Care of African American , n.d). In addition, according to the Health and Health Care of African American (n.d.), the death rate for all cancers is 30% higher for African Americans than for Whites, e (Health and Health Care of African American, n.d).

To obtain the necessary data to understand and eliminate health disparities, I would review a board array of data collection system from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). These systems include “health surveys, administrative enrollment and billing records and records from private data systems” (Perrin, 2004). These data collection systems are used to understand broad areas of determinant of health (e.g. the impact income have on mortality) while others are used to understand health outcomes (e.g. the effect of patient race/ethnicity on health outcomes with diabetes). I would focus only on race/ethnic, socioeconomic position, and language because I believe these to be important in understanding disparities in health and health

In any society in the world today health disparities are constantly being encountered. Health disparity is a term used for disease and mortality as it commonly refers to differences in groups of people, races, cultures, societies, economic class, educational levels, etc. Generally, health disparities are compared with more advanced countries and what those cultures have and how other cultures are behind and living without any advancement. Health disparities have been around since the world first evolved, but now those studies have been further researched. In consideration of the evolving research, health disparity is now sometimes referred to as health inequality due to the diverse levels of advancement, medical care, and education that various cultures receive. There are now a vast variety of resources available to conduct research on any said subject involving health disparities in general. Anyone can find a disparity in any subject; it just depends on what side of the spectrum each individual falls on.

“If a health outcome is seen to a greater or lesser extent between populations, there is disparity.” This is the definition of a health disparity given by healthypeople.gov. Race or ethnicity, sex identity, age, disability, socioeconomic status, and geographic location are all factors that contribute in a health disparity. The most common linked to a health disparity in many cases is socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic status seems to affect the health of an individual as well as the care they will receive, making this a closely linked to several other health disparities.

Health care disparities can be termed as health dissimilarity that is associated with social, financial, and environmental detriment. This health dissimilarity unfavorably affects groups of people based on several factors; factors such as race, ethnicity, geographical location, socio-economic status, age, mental health, and so on (Disparities, 2014). Other factors influencing disparities in healthcare are environmental threats, insufficient access to healthcare, educational inequalities, and behavioral

Heart disease is a wide term that describes a range of conditions that affect your heart. These heart diseases consist of born heart defects, blood vessel diseases, and heart rhythm implications. This term can also be interchanged with the term “cardiovascular disease”, which refers to blood vessel blockage that can lead to severe effects (chest pain, heart attack, stroke). Other symptoms that affect your heart’s beat or muscles also are considered a type of heart disease. Living a healthy life and making healthy choices can help prevent and treat multiple forms of heart disease.

Firstly, cardiovascular disease refers to many sub conditions. To name a few; coronary heart disease, stroke, cardiomyopathy, peripheral vascular disease and congenital heart disease. Coronary heart disease occurs when the oxygenated blood supply to the heart is congested by plaque build-up. Stroke occurs when blood clots reach the brain, depriving it of

Heart disease also called Cardiovascular is a group of conditions affecting the structure and function of the heart that involves narrowed or blocked blood vessels. Since the blood vessels are disordered this raises the chances of the person having a heart attack.