Minority Health Disparities: A Case Study

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or in opportunities to achieve optimal health experienced by socially disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and other population groups, and communities” (CDC, 2017).  It  is easy to believe that control on overall health relies solely on making  a firm decision (the “right” decision" to lead a healthy lifestyle— by being active and eating a balanced-diet. There are other factors to be considered in evaluating and understanding health disparities: why people seem to be noncompliant? Or why people aren’t seeking medical attention in a timely manner?  In reading

Healthy People 2020 discusses a number of special population’s that have barriers to care including; race, age sex, sexual identity, age, disability, socioeconomic, and location; this post will discuss race (ethnic) group.  There are a number of races mentioned in healthy people 2020, such as, Asian, American Indian, Alaskan, Latino and African American (Healthy People 2020, n.d.). Access to health care in an ethnic group is multifaceted from the lack of trust, lack of health care education, discrimination and cost of care including health insurance. According to Howard, Peace, & Howard (2014), African Americans have a greater risk of three preventable diseases, hypertension, renal failure and bacterial infections stating; “no other disease

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.

The purpose of this paper is to provide insight on health disparities seen within DeKalb County. The residents of DeKalb County are diverse in race, ethnicity, and income. Since the county is so diverse there are many health disparities seen amongst its residents. Health disparities occur within a county when one group of a population has noticeably better or worse health than another group within the same population. These groups of people can differ by income, education, sex, race, location, and even sexual orientation. This Paper will discuss the health disparities that exist within DeKalb County, and explain why these disparities exist from a historical, political and social aspect. Furthermore, this paper will give background information on health outcomes from national, state, and local epidemiological perspective in order to support the claims that disparities actually exist within this county.

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.

Healthy communities depend on the promotion of collaboration between health care providers, equitable utilization of health care resources and access to care for disease prevention. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased access to insurance, but has not necessarily contributed to increased access to care (Lane et al., 2012). Limited access to health care and insurance, along with socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual identity, and age contribute to health care disparities in the United States ("Disparities," 2014). The Appalachian Region has many factors that increase the risk of health disparities among this population, including poverty, unemployment, limited access to care,

Through REACH, CDC supports awardee partners that will establish community-based programs and culturally-tailored interventions serving African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics/Latinos, Asian Americans, Alaska Natives, and Pacific Islanders. Interventions focus on proper nutrition, physical activity, tobacco use and exposure, and chronic disease prevention, risk reduction and management opportunities. Additionally, awardees will address health disparities in heart disease, diabetes, and infant health. The intent of REACH is to build an evidence base that supports community-centered approaches to reducing or eliminating health disparities. (REACH 2014 Awardees, para.

COLUMBUS—State Rep. Emilia Sykes recently gave the keynote address during The Ohio Commission of Minority Health’s (OCMH) Kick - off Event for Minority Health Month. The keynote address touched on various topics including, the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the need for crucial information to allow individuals to practice disease prevention. Most notably, Rep. Sykes highlighted the inequities in health outcomes between Ohio’s minority and non-minority populations.

Health disparities undoubtedly exist among different racial groups with Healthy People 2020 identifying reducing racial gaps and infant mortality as a critical objective (Loggins & Andrade, 2013). Black children are reportedly two times more likely to die during their first year of life than white children (Huffington Post). Furthermore, the overall infant mortality rate is 6 deaths per 1,000 births, but for African American infants the mortality rate is 13.31 deaths per 1,000 births (CDC). There have been many medical advances, such as prescreening to find health issues that contribute to health disparities, but each racial group still do not benefit equally.

Amy Wilson-Stronks, M.P.P., Project Director, Health Disparities, Division of Quality Measurement and Research, The Joint Commission. Paul Schyve, M.D., Senior Vice President, The Joint Commission Christina L. Cordero, Ph.D., M.P.H., Associate Project Director, Division of Standards and Survey Methods, The Joint Commission Isa Rodriguez, Project Coordinator, Division of Quality Measurement and Research, The Joint Commission Mara Youdelman, J.D., L.L.M., Senior Attorney, National Health Law Program

In today’s society, medical advances in technology have provided people living in the United States with the potential to live longer and healthier lives compared to before. However, there are a health disparity that exits between different racial and ethnic populations and health equity remains intangible. Health disparities refer to the incidence, prevalence, mortality and burden of disease and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific populations in the Unites States. It is relates to the inequality in insurance coverage, educations, quality of care, income, socioeconomic status and limited access to health services. Characteristics such as race, ethnicity, religion, SES, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, geographic location and other characteristics are linked to exclusive or discrimination influencing health status.

The United States’ population is currently rising exponentially and with growth comes demographic shifts. Some of the demographics shifts include the population growth of Hispanics, increase in senior citizens especially minority elderly, increase in number of residents who do not speak English, increase in foreign-born residents, population trends of people from different sexual orientation, and trends of people with disabilities (Perez & Luquis, 2009). As a public health practitioner, the only way to effectively eliminate health disparities among Americans, one must explore and embrace the demographic shifts of the United States population because differences exist among ethnic groups (Perez, 2009). We must be cognizant of the adverse

Why is it that in the world most advanced country, health disparities are so prevalent among ethnic minorities, especially African-Americans? Why is this issue so resilient despite countless efforts to bring it under control? Health disparities among socially disadvantaged populations are no laughing matter, and the African-American population of Clayton County, Georgia are no exception. They are at greater risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, or have higher rates of infant mortality compared to whites. Since the advent of the “Healthy People” initiative some two decades ago, it has centered its goals on disparities in the United States and establishing efforts for reducing it among all Americans.1 Therefore, this article will look at a few significant researches done on the topic of health disparities, especially in the area of infant mortality, and how other researchers have addresses it; also, along with its strengths and limitations.

In April of 2001, National Minority Health Month was launched in response to the health promotion and disease prevention initiative, Healthy People 2010. Celebrated annually in April, National Minority Health Month presents an opportunity to increase awareness of the health disparities that continue to affect racial/ethnic minority populations. This year’s theme, “Accelerating Health Equity for the Nation,” focuses on the critical role of fast track methods to reducing health disparities. The health status and outcome for of many racial/ ethnic minority populations has remain poor and declining, despite massive health promotion campaigns. Most health promotions failed to address respects for diversity, social factors and cultural needs of the population being served. Research indicates cultural competency enhances the capacity of healthcare promotions to provide more responsive assistance to racial/ethnic minority populations. In accordance with this year 's National Minority Health Month theme, the Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute of the Elimination of Health Disparities (MEW) will provide the inaugural launch of Ready, Step, Set! Moving of the Fast-Track to Fitness. This program will provide a cultural competent fast track mechanism to address the high rates of inactivity and related chronic diseases among racial/ethnic minority women of the urban Jackson community, by addressing the environmental and

“Ensuring that capacity-building assistance providers incorporate cultural competency, and linguistics and educational appropriateness into all services delivered”. (CDC)