...An important health disparity that exists in the world today is diabetes disproportionately affecting Non-Hispanic Blacks. Through extensive research, one can discover many solutions to decrease this disparity. In order to reach these conclusions one must first uncover what causes this disparity as well as the prevalence and incidence rates. The prevalence and incidence is much higher for Non-Hispanic Blacks than for other races. A survey conducted in 2010 shows that 18.7% of Non-Hispanic Blacks ages twenty and older have diabetes (2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet). This prevalence is 9% higher than what research has shown for Non-Hispanic Whites. The incidence rate of diabetes in Non-Hispanic blacks has been increasing since 1997 and is currently 5.4% higher than in Non-Hispanic Whites (Age-Adjusted Incidence of Diagnosed Diabetes). Due to the fact that this is one of the fastest-growing groups in the United States, this will only continue to increase (National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse). There are clearly some very influential factors that are affecting these extreme differences. There are many factors...
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...Descriptive Epidemiology Case Study 1 Managerial Epidemiology – HAS 535 – Descriptive Epidemiology Case Study: Diabetes Descriptive Epidemiology Case Study 2 Diabetes, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States is a disease in which the body has a shortage of insulin, a decreased ability to use insulin, or both. Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose (sugar) to enter cells and be converted to energy. When diabetes is not controlled, glucose and fats remain in the blood, and, overtime, damage vital organs. In a healthy person, blood sugar levels, which fluctuates based on food intake, exercise and other factors are kept within an acceptable by insulin. Insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas, helps the body absorb excess sugar from the bloodstream; therefore, in people with diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin thus increasing the blood sugar levels making it difficult to be controlled by insulin. Type 1 diabetes, diagnosed in children and young adults (although it can occur at any age) is an autoimmune disease that may be caused by genetic, environmental or other factors. It accounts for about 5 percent of diabetes cases. Although there are no known ways to prevent it, administration of insulin is an effective treatment. Type 2...
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...Introduction In a small pocket in downtown Phoenix, AZ, census tract 1133.01, there is a predominantly male (53% male, 47% female) Hispanic population that is mostly middle-aged, between 35 and 49 years1. According to the zip code data encompassing this area, this low-income section consists of mostly unmarried individuals with a high school education (62%)2. The most common mode of transportation is by car alone (66%), which likely means that this population is spending a good amount of time being sedentary2. There is a high incidence of binge eating disorder (BED) among this population. When binges occur, high amounts of inexpensive, low-nutrient food is consumed and has several negative side effects, such as weight gain, which could lead to obesity. The community nutrition problem that will be addressed herein is reducing the occurrence of binge eating, and subsequent weight gain, among this population. Literature Review...
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...Community Boundaries Understanding cultural issues among the community can improve health based on needs of the community. Choosing appropriate methods of care is challenging in implementing an educational plan. It is important for the health care providers to develop skills and knowledge when caring for people from other cultures. Assessments should include understanding strengths, weakness, resources and needs of the community. Hispanics form a large part of ethnic minority in the United States. The Hispanic populations have diverse ethnic origin and have low socio- economic and educational levels when compared to other ethnic groups in the United States. The health of Hispanic communities begins with analysis of how Hispanic families perceive health and illness. The concepts of beliefs, health and illness and folk medicine are learned and inherited from families. Environmental and social factors such as income and social status, education, working conditions, physical environments, and health practices are important in considering the health of the community. The principles of culture preservation, culture accommodation and culture repatterning should be incorporated when providing care to people from other cultures (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008). Cultural competence and frameworks allows for learning and creating opportunities for nurses to learn about different cultures, practices and beliefs and help develop plan of care based on their needs. People and place: ...
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...Health Promotion in Cervical Cancer A literature review Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide (WHO, 2010a). The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that about 12,200 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year, and 4,120 women will die of the disease (ACS, 2010). Cervical cancer is caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), but has an almost 100% survival rate if caught early enough. Although national incidence rates have declined, there are still a disproportionate number of cases amongst African-American and Hispanic women. In the United States, various health organizations are attempting to deal with the cultural barriers to the prevention, early detection, and treatment of cervical cancer. Three journal articles were reviewed to examine current nursing strategies for health promotion as related to cervical cancer. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health promotion as “the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health” (Ottawa charter for health promotion, as cited in WHO, 2010b). Health promotion strategies focus on eliciting lifestyle changes and promoting positive personal choices among individuals, families, and communities. Health promotion is a key element of primary prevention of disease (Leavell & Clark, as cited in Edelman & Mandel, 2010). Guardasil (Merck & Co., Inc.), the HPV vaccination, is the primary preventative tool that...
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...Promoting Positive Health Behavior There is strong evidence that the preventive medicine practice of screening for diseases is very effective in saving lives, reducing suffering and health care costs. In light of this the federal government in collaboration with states launched the Every Woman Matters (EWM) program to help improve public awareness of the need for early detection of breast and cervical cancer and also to improve access to screening services for low income women, through the removal of the barrier to preventive breast and cervical cancer screening in these communities. By design EWM aligned with participating practices to help them implement the program. Eligible women received clinical breast examination, mammography, and papanicolaou smear from these practices at reduced or no cost. Unfortunately EWM program failed short of its objectives. The possible reasons for the ineffectiveness of the EWM program were largely design-based. A study conducted by Backer et al in collaboration with the Nebraska Health and Human Services EWM program helped elucidate some of the design flaws of this program. The group collected and analyzed both qualitative and quantitative data from 7 participating practices, in addition to in-depth interviews with physicians and staff at participating practices. By design this study was intended to: * Identify barriers to delivery of breast and cervical cancer screening services * Enhance understanding of the attitudes of physicians...
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...Diagnoses of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, 2000 –2009 Qian An, MS, Joseph Prejean, PhD, H. Irene Hall, PhD This activity is available for CME credit. See page A3 for information. Background: Increased attention has been focused on health disparities among racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. Purpose: To assess the extent of progress toward meeting the targets of Healthy People 2010 objectives and eliminating disparities. Methods: All diagnoses of AIDS during 2000 –2009 among people aged Ն13 years in the 50 states and District of Columbia, reported to national HIV surveillance through June 2010, together with census population data were used in this analysis (conducted in March 2011). This study assesses the trend in racial/ethnic disparities in rates of AIDS diagnoses both between particular groups using rate difference (RD) and rate ratio (RR) and across the entire range of racial/ethnic subgroups using three summary measures of disparity: between-group variance (BGV); Theil index (TI); and mean log deviation (MLD). Results: The overall racial/ethnic disparity, black–white disparity, and Hispanic–white disparity in rates of AIDS diagnoses decreased for those aged 25– 64 years from 2000 to 2009. The black–white and Hispanic–white disparity in rates of AIDS diagnoses also decreased among men aged Ն65 years; however, the black–white disparity increased among young men aged 13–24 years (BGV: pϽ0.001, black–white RD: pϽ0.01) from 2000 to 2009. Conclusions: Findings...
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...Health Services for Special Populations Being underprivileged is not where everyone is striving to be especially when it comes to healthcare. Certain population groups are faced with daily challenges when it comes time to access health care. “Being in category “medically disadvantaged” or “underserved population” can be due to unequal social, economic, health, and geographic conditions” (Shi and Singh,2015). “Underprivileged group consist of racial and ethnic minorities, uninsured children, women, those living in rural areas, the homeless, the mentally ill, the chronically ill and disabled and those with HIV” Shi and Singh, 2015). “In 2010 a questionnaire was made with 15 racial categories that included white, Black, American Indian or...
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...undocumented aliens have limited access to health care due to lack of identity papers. This is due to the fact that they earn very low income and medical insurance coverage is lower for the undocumented aliens. As a result, they rely on the safety-net medical care providers such as social health centers as this centers continue to provide care for the undocumented aliens. This research also reviews the limitations and problems faced by the undocumented aliens in accessing health care and as a result the ploys they use to access medical care. The findings of this research show that they mostly rely on treating themselves with over counter drugs or in the cases of extremes they use unofficial networks to seek treatment. Also, it is evident that they would do anything to safeguard their cover from being discovered and these results in stress and psychological disorders. Another finding is that despite the healthcare reforms, undocumented aliens still have no rights to access health care compared to the US citizens. This research recommends designing of programs which focus on the issue of undocumented aliens being excluded from the medical care reform. Designing this reforms may involve adding more policies that favour the rights of the undocumented aliens to access medical care such as rights to have medical insurance cover. Also since the main fear of the undocumented aliens to access medical care is the fear of deportation, designing anonymous health care cards may be a solution....
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...Health Disparity Among African-Americans Melissa Swanson Grand Canyon University Family Centered Health Promotion NRS-429V-0506 Sandi Coufal February 8, 2015 Heath Disparity among 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. The CDC Health Disparities & Inequalities Report of 2011 shows the average American’s life expectancy at 78.8 years, while the average African-American should expect to live only 75.3 years. The statistics gathered by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) are striking in painting the health status of African-Americans in this country. African-American infants have a mortality rate twice that of Caucasian infants. The CDC recognized that African-Americans lead the nation in death rates from heart disease and stroke, as compared to any other ethnicity. The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health presented data in 2012 showing that African-American adults have a 40% higher rate of hypertension and a 10% less...
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...Diabetes, breast cancer, and tuberculosis are three important health concerns issues in the United States and in other parts of the world, but let’s be clear about this, there are several other important health issues affecting our people that have very significant importance. My criterion for selection is the United State, English language, and no specific age group. Diabetes as we know is when the body fails to produce enough insulin, which then causes sugar to build up in your blood. Diabetes affects over 25.8 million people, which is 8.3% of the U.S population, of that 18.8million people are diagnosed and 7.0 million undiagnosed. Among U.S. residents aged 65 years and older 10.9 million, or 26.9%, had diabetes in 2010. About 215,000 people younger than 20 years had diabetes (type 1 or type 2) in the United States in 2010. About 1.9 million people aged 20 years or older were newly diagnosed with diabetes in 2010 in the United States. Type I diabetes was previously called insulin dependent mellitus or juvenile-onset diabetes. Type I diabetes develops when the body’s immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells, the cells that produce insulin that regulates blood glucose. To survive, people with this type must have insulin delivered by injection or pump. This type normally strikes children and young adults, but may occur at any age according and type I diabetes accounts for 5% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes. Risk factors can be may be autoimmune, genetic, or environmental...
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...twenty-four year old male Hispanic. He immigrated to the United States when he was 5 years old from Guatemala, with his mother and he is a legal American citizen. He was brought to Aurora Behavioral healthcare on a 5150 by ex-wife and her parents due to suicidal ideation with a plan to overdose on his medications. He complained of worsening depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. He felt hopeless and had suicidal ideation prior to admission. The ex-wife reported she had received a text from the patient saying, “I need to do something before I hurt myself. You’d be better off if I were dead.” He and his wife separated in December of 2010 and the divorce was finalized in August 2011. The couple separated because of violence; they had gotten into an argument and he pushed her. His ex-wife stated OG’s depression had gotten worse over the past week. The patient said he suffered from blackouts and he couldn’t remember things that had happened. On September 21, 2011 he was arrested while working in Las Vegas for using technology to lure a minor and was in jail for 11 days. The patient said he blacks out and did not remember the incident and woke up in jail. In October of 2011 his physician NP Brantman, prescribed him trazodone, Abilify and Seroquel. He was admitted for suicidal ideation and major depression. Hispanics for the most part believe that health is a gift from God. The majority of Hispanics practice some form...
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...three out of five African-Americans and Hispanics, and nearly half of all Native Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders live in communities with one or more uncontrolled toxic waste sites, incinerators or major landfills. A recent Greenpeace study found that minorities make up twice as large a population share in communities with these unwanted sites as in communities without them. In 1980 the average minority population near a landfill or hazardous waste facility was about 22%; in 1994 it was 36%. I. INTRODUCTION People of color in the United State and around the world are subjected to a disproportionately high level of environmental health risk in their neighborhoods and on their jobs. Minorities, who tend to be poorer and more disadvantaged that other residents, work in the dirtiest jobs where they are exposed to toxic chemicals and other hazards. More often than not they also live in urban ghettos, barrios, reservations and rural poverty pockets that have shockingly high pollution levels and are increasingly the site of unpopular industrial facilities, such as toxic waste dumps, landfills, smelters, refineries and incinerators. Environmental Justice combines civil rights with environmental protection to demand a safe, healthy, life-giving environment for everyone. II. ORIGIN In 1987 the Reverend Benjamis Chavis of the United Church of Christ in the United States, demonstrated there is a direct relationship between communities of racial minority or low income and contaminated...
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...The Families and Children Who Live in the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park Report of a study conducted by Donald Barr, MD, PhD, Professor (Teaching) of Pediatrics, and of Education (by courtesy) Amado Padilla, PhD, Professor of Education Stanford University Graduate School of Education , March 17 , 2014 As faculty members of the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University, we would like to share with the broader civic and academic community the results of our recent research on the educational and hea lth status of children who live in the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park in Palo Alto. We developed this study as we became increasingly aware of unanswered questions that are central both to the specific issue of the future of Buena Vista in Palo Alto, and to the broader issue of the impact on children from traditionally disadvantaged economic and ethnic backgrounds of living in socioeconomically advantaged communities such as Palo Alto. History of the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park As described in a 2008 artic le published in Palo Alto Online , “ Buena Vista began as a tourist camp for travelers, part of a 5,392 - acre property purchased by R.E. Ashley in 1926 ... During World War II, primitive hookups for trailers went in, housing war workers and people associated wi th the army camp on Page Mill Road or Moffett Field ... The park settled down into a permanent trailer camp in the 1950s. ” 1 Buena Vista has been part of Palo Alto for nearly...
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...likewise. Americans of Jewish European descent are four to five times more likely to get Crohn’s Disease than the general population. Crohn’s Disease traditionally has been a disease of Caucasians, but recently there has been a rise in registered cases the African American community. The dominance seems to have dropped in the Hispanic and Asian populations and communities. Crohn’s Disease mostly starts during adolescence and continues through early adulthood (typically between the ages of 15 and 35). There is a slight second peak of newly diagnosed cases after age 50. <The occurrence rates among Hispanics and Asians are at a decreased level than those for Caucasians and African Americans. A study in Puerto Rico examined hospitalization rates for African Americans. The commonness for African Americans was verified as 41.4 per 100,000 for Crohn's Disease ("Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America", 2009). An 11-year study of incidence rates of pediatric Crohn’s Disease in one state study pointed out rates doubled for Crohn’s from 1991 to 2002 ("Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America", 2009). In this study Caucasians had a greater occurrence of Crohn’s Disease (4.15 per 100,000); African Americans (1.83 per 100,000) and Hispanic populations (0.61 per 100,000) ("Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America", 2009). Continuing reports are essential that look at many concerns containing the amount new instances (incidence); current instances (prevalence), reasons, and changes...
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