In every walk of life we are faced with individuals who present to us in a unique way, that we may not fully understand or comprehend who they truly believe they are. We are faced with people who come from diverse cultural backgrounds that ne may unintentionally stereotype at times. The word culture has for many centuries’ been defined and redefined with no consensus on the actual meaning of the word. But there are ideologies that all definition’s share that are: culture is a set of values and beliefs that are passed down from generation that individuals choose to identify with to mark themselves on a social state of being among others. A group of author describes the term as a “dynamic, fluid, ever-changing and complex force in the lives of individuals, groups, and communities (Huff, R., Kline., M. V., Peterson, D. V., a.d.). Due to the forever changing dynamics of this ideology is why scholars have had difficulties agreeing on one specific definition. The definition of culture becomes critically-intricate when the idea of health promotions, health education, and the use of communication as an intervention to health disparities is introduced into these unique cultures. It is without doubt that the United States has experienced throughout its history inequalities from racial tensions to current health disparities in rural and poverty parts of the country. Health disparities are inequalities that citizens and non-citizens alike face due to discrepancies of resources
Culture is the thoughts, communications, actions, beliefs, values, and institutions racial, ethnic, religious, or social groups (Jarvis, 2012, p 14). Every culture has its own view/ understanding about health care, health and illnesses. Although what might be seen as acceptable in one culture, may not be acceptable in another, regardless of where you are health care and culture will always exist. My definition of culture is the way someone lives his or her life in a daily basis; which includes things like the language one speaks in and out of the home, food one eats, music one listens to, and one religious practice. The culture I will be
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.
Health disparities are present in our health care system. Whether it be racial, educational, or environmental, these disparities exist and are detrimental to health care outcomes. While there have been recent advancements in how to eliminate or reduce these disparities, there is still a major inequity in health care for all individuals.
For this paper and hereinafter health disparity is defined as “a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage. Health disparities adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health 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.”(healthypeople.gov). This definition is from Healthy People 2020, the guide for the Nation’s health promotion.
People often interpret the word disparities as only having to do with race or ethnicity, however the term goes beyond that and includes sex, sexual identity, age, disability, socioeconomic status, and geographic location (“U.S. Department of Health,” 2011). The goal of Healthy People has changed over the decades, at first it was to reduce health disparities, then it was to eliminate disparities, and now for 2020 it is to achieve health equality, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups of people (“U.S. Department of Health,” 2011).
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
While there is no clear definition of what health disparities are, Healthy People 2020 defines them as “differences that occur by gender, race or ethnicity, education or income, disability, geographic location, or sexual orientation” (Adler, 2008). Health disparities are not determined by solely biological differences, but rather more attributed to the environment surrounding a person. The public health industry is so concerned about racial health disparities that stem from the social environment
Health Disparities, a term most common in the United States (Public Health Reports), is known as the difference or inequality that is justified by using people’s race, gender, age, rank, and socioeconomic status. In other words, it known as injustice in the health care services. Inequality within health care access has been a topic for years due to noticeable inequality. Inequality in health care for mother’s ranges from age, race, income status, and education. When the health care providers has the ability to deny service to anyone they feel cannot benefit the provider or the mother, this is where a disparity becomes the outstanding limit of injustice.
The difference in health outcomes and the determinants between parts of a population caused by social, demographic, environmental and geographic characteristics is defined as health disparities (Dore & Eisenhardt,2015). Societal, economic, and political forces impact social determinants. (Dore & Eisenhardt, 2015) have indicated that health inequities are avoidable and preventable when appropriate actions are taken to lower the risk of illness.
“Health disparity: A higher burden of illness, injury, disability, or mortality experienced by one population group relative to another group” ("Disparities in Health," 2012, para. 7). There are many factors which contribute to the disparities in health among certain groups here in the United States. The low income populations seem to be at the greatest risk when it comes to health inequality. Whether this is due to lack of education, access to services, or even neighborhood safety, the divide between the higher income populations and that of lower income populations are growing at an alarming
Health Disparities Paper Health disparities are among one of the most preventable health obstacles facing the United States today. Access to adequate health care among minority and other racial groups remains overrun with inequities which are difficult to comprehend given the abundant resources available in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), health disparities affect racial and ethnic minorities at an accelerated rate.
There are three categories that summarize health disparities in the U.S. The first is disparities that have a social or economic cause rather than a biological cause. An example of this would be that the death rates of black American men are 26 percent higher than that of white men. Also, the death rates of black American woman are 19 percent higher than that of white women. An explanation for this is because blacks have a lower socioeconomic status than white. The reason for this is because blacks are more likely than white to never graduate high school, or graduate high school but not go to college (Barr, 43). Therefore, those with low socioeconomic status can’t afford to go to the doctor which results in a health disparity. The second category
In health care in terms of racial and ethnic health disparities there is not considered to be any disparities. Citizens in the United States are treated equally throughout. Although citizens are treated equally in terms of race, but for health disparities concerning socioeconomic status citizens are not always treated equally because of the wide range of incomes.
Healthcare disparities exist at higher rates among various ethnic backgrounds as well as individuals with disabilities. Although receiving good healthcare should be a privilege, statistics have shown that social determinants such as poor education, low income, limited access to quality care, as well as environmental factors have contributed to healthcare disparities. If society could improve barriers like health education, communication, and healthcare cost, quality healthcare could be successfully provided to every person.
Health inequalities are preventable and unjust differences in health status experienced by certain population groups. People in lower socio-economic groups are more likely to experience health inequalities than people in higher socio-economic classes. Health inequalities are not only found between people of different