Health Disparities Of The United States : Social Class, Race, Ethnicity, And Health

Some of the issues regarding health disparities I have been exposed to living in middle class are, that many people are in need of health insurance, healthcare and employment. I made focus groups in one of the courses in my last semester and asked them questions about if discrimination exist in receiving quality of care? One of the African American participants gave a response: “The medical world reflects the real world.” Participants' also spoke about health care providers who make assumptions about their patients based on race or ethnicity. They also mentioned “As soon as they look at the patient and see if he is African American or Latino, they assume that he doesn't have insurance at all.’’ Some participants who were white, they did not have such experiences. I got to know both positive and negative aspects of that. They also felt that quality of health care services limited because of misperceptions and stereotypes, not the reality of who they are. One more instance, my friend experienced who is an African American-Black and suffering from diabetes and obesity. Due to her geographic location, she did not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and therefore they tend to eat unhealthy food items. Many chronic and preventable diseases disproportionately affect ethnic

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.

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,

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.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “health equity is achieved when every person has the opportunity to attain his or her full health potential and no one is disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015). Satcher (2010) reports that health inequities are “systematic, avoidable, and unjust” disparities (p. 6). He also states that the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that social conditions are the most important determinant of a person’s health. Social conditions “determine access to health services and influence lifestyle choices” (Satcher, 2010, p. 6). These determinants must be addressed in order to reduce health inequity. Inequity can be

One of the major obstacles for researchers in the field of Health Psychology and Aging is understanding the role of health disparities across different populations. Health disparities can be understood in terms of differences in some facet of health and well-being across different groups of people. The issue of health disparities across different populations is one that must be understood not only in the context of genetic and biological factors, but also in the context of a broader sociocultural perspective. The influence of health disparities are implied in the context of aging, but are discussed across the entire lifespan. The existence of health disparities in later life is often a product of a lifelong experience and life-course trajectory. This essay will address some of the major

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.

Medical advance and improved technology providing all Americans more healthier and long lives more than ever before .In contrast racial and ethnic minorities experience significant number of health disparities .The major factors of these minority group health disparities are income, education, and work status, as well as poor housing,

Racial and ethnic health disparities have been a topic on the rise as of late. According to Flores (2010), little attention has been shown to ethic and racial health disparities in children. For example, only 5 of 103 studies in the Institute of Medicine's extensive review any findings, studies, or literature address health disparities of racial or ethnic issues dealing with children (Flores, 2010). These disparities are and persistent, and happen across the many categories of health and health care. The objective of this study was to review as many off the published literatures on these racial and ethnic health disparities.

Social determinants of health inequity reflect deeper social divisions, which generate multiple risks that are reproduced over time. Hierarchies of power must be critiqued through the lenses of class and race to make tangible the seemingly abstract connections between social and economic determinants and distribution of health inequity. Racism finds refuge in various forms of material exploitation; narrow interventions that fail to address the root causes that undermine the health and well-being of members of the community will ultimately fail.1 The treatment of Mexican immigrants with tuberculosis (TB) by health officials in Los Angeles from 1914 to 1940 is a telling story that made salient the insidious impact of poverty and race on health, and it provides an important lesson for public health officials.

This publication has proven to be useful in my topic of research because it gives me a solid background on the disparities the Institute of Medicine as well as many other contributors considered to be the most important to address. In addition, there is abundant information about the initiatives that has been or should be taken in order to address a specific health disparity, which enables me to see the progress and efforts of the health disparity I am writing about. This publication explains the progress of the field since 2000, which makes all of the information fairly recent and relevant to today’s

“America is the technological superpower, the wealthiest nation in the world, and spends significantly more of its gross national product, and spends more per person, than any other nation in the world on health care. So where, then, does America stand on health?” (Lerner & Loman, 2005, p. 1). The purpose of this essay is to discuss and explore whether U.S. health care should be a right or a privilege. Many Americans feel that although the United States leads most of the world in medical advances and technology, the healthcare system is broken. A great number of people go without the care

In the world we live in today, several health disparities exist that negatively impact the health of marginalized groups throughout society. As a whole, America has been regarded as an individualistic culture, where self-reliance and independence are emphasized rather than the goals of the family or community group. There has been a great deal of controversy over the issue of health in America and whether health should be considered a human right or a privilege. According to the World Health Organization (2017), “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Given this definition, not only does the physical health of individuals have to be taken into account, but their mental and social health as well. I believe health is currently a privilege in America, not a right, and that other countries have made significantly greater strides to improve the health of its citizens in comparison. Despite the current health disparities that exist, health should be a universal human right rather than a privilege. In order to achieve this, there need to be new policies implemented to create systemic level changes around health and adequate health care.