...Heath disparities or health inequalities are defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “gaps in health outcomes or determinants between segments of the population”. The CDC has put together the CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report in 2013 to address the many issues concerning the health disparities of minority groups in the United States. One of the minority groups addressed in the report is the African American or black ethnic group that in 2013 comprised of 15% of the United States population. More African Americans rate health services in their community as fair to poor than whites (Becker and Newsom, 2003). Life expectancy has more than doubled for African Americans in the 20th century but they still face a higher burden of disability, disease and death than do whites (Becker and Newsom, 2003). By identifying and understanding the health disparities and being aware of the differences regarding health determinants and outcomes in the African American population the better able we are to do something to reduce these disparities (CDC Newsroom). The top three Health disparities among the African American population include heart disease as the number one cause of death, cancer, and stroke (CDC and Prevention). African Americans had the largest number of deaths from heart disease and stroke in the United States compared to other ethnic groups. They have the highest prevalence in untreated hypertension which leads to both heart disease and strokes...
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...Socioeconomic Status and Health Disparity in America Over the years, researchers have uncovered a strong link between socioeconomic status and one’s risk for being affected by healthy disparities (Ethnic, 2015).When examining the relationship between socioeconomic status and health, evidence shows those with the lowest income and education are the unhealthiest, while most advantaged individuals are the healthiest (Braveman, et al, 2009). It is possible through continued research and broadened knowledge surrounding different cultures and biological factors, we may be able to close certain gaps that exist today and reduce the risk for healthy disparity in America. There are many factors that are used today to measure diversity in socioeconomic status. For example, the relationships between demographics, income, and health help us understand what elevates risk for disparity. Some of the demographic factors include: race and ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, special health care needs, and geographic location (Disparities, 2015). While some groups are impacted greater than others, it is important to acknowledge that these inequities are affecting our society as a whole and should be a priority of concern for all (Ethnic, 2015). When considering how a higher income could produce a healthier future, we see that wealthier people have greater accessibility to key resources. Someone with a high income is more likely to have sufficient health coverage and live in a safe neighborhood...
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...Current Health Status In July 2013, 40.8 million (2013) people in the United States were African American (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). The Center for Disease and Prevention (CDC) reports that 14.6% of African-Americans are in fair or poor health, as compared with the national average. 48% of African Americans, suffer from a chronic illness that results in premature morbidity and mortality, as compared to 39% of the general population (Brandon & Proctor, 2010, p. 590). This population has a higher prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, hypertension, and diabetes. According to Health Statics of U.S. Adults, African Americans were more likely to have been diagnosed with diabetes compared to non-Hispanic white...
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...Nursing in 3D: Diversity, Disparities, and Social Determinants The Social Determinants of Health: It’s Time to Consider the Causes of the Causes Paula Braveman, MD, MPHa Laura Gottlieb, MD, MPHb ABSTRACT During the past two decades, the public health community’s attention has been drawn increasingly to the social determinants of health (SDH)—the factors apart from medical care that can be influenced by social policies and shape health in powerful ways. We use “medical care” rather than “health care” to refer to clinical services, to avoid potential confusion between “health” and “health care.” The World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health has defined SDH as “the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age” and “the fundamental drivers of these conditions.” The term “social determinants” often evokes factors such as health-related features of neighborhoods (e.g., walkability, recreational areas, and accessibility of healthful foods), which can influence health-related behaviors. Evidence has accumulated, however, pointing to socioeconomic factors such as income, wealth, and education as the fundamental causes of a wide range of health outcomes. This article broadly reviews some of the knowledge accumulated to date that highlights the importance of social—and particularly socioeconomic— factors in shaping health, and plausible pathways and biological mechanisms that may explain their effects. We also discuss...
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...Running head; HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES IN AFRICA 1 HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES IN AFRICA OKECHUKWU ONYEIZUGBE DHA8013 Action Research Health Administration 1 Capella University Abstract Objective: To summarize the current literature on racial and gender disparities in critical care and the mechanisms underlying these disparities in the course of acute critical illness. Data Sources: MEDLINE search on the published literature addressing racial, ethnic, or gender disparities in acute critical illness, such as sepsis, acute lung injury, pneumonia, venous thromboembolism, and cardiac arrest. Study Selection: Clinical studies that evaluated general critically ill patient populations in the United States as well as specific critical care conditions were reviewed with a focus on studies evaluating factors and contributors to health disparities. Data Extraction: Study findings are presented according to their association with the prevalence, clinical presentation, management, and outcomes in acute critical illness. Data Synthesis: This review presents potential contributors for racial and gender disparities related to genetic susceptibility, comorbidities, preventive health services, socioeconomic factors, cultural differences, and access to care. The data are organized along the course of acute critical illness. Conclusions: The literature to date shows that disparities in critical care are most likely multifactorial...
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...just in the United States. For example, New England colonists fled to a new land, later to be known as America, for religious freedom from European dictators, early settlers of the United States enslaved African-Americans, Adolf Hitler murdered millions of Jewish people, and Middle Eastern Muslim terrorists destroyed the World Trade Towers killing thousands. In the United States, before the Civil rights movement, African-Americans were severely discriminated against. They were not allowed into certain restaurants, they were given restrooms and water fountains that were only used by “colored people”, and they were forced to sit in the back of the bus. Schools and neighborhoods were segregated and interracial relationships were forbidden. Racism was considered socially acceptable and the judicial system upheld arrests and convictions of those that did not conform to the laws. It was impossible for a person of color to receive a fair trial. Today the judicial system is designed to punish criminals for the crime not their minority status, but the truth can still be twisted by racism. Some people argue that the law is flawed and the courts are biased because we are judged by a group of people who are randomly selected to decide the accused criminal’s fate, also known as a “jury of our peers”. Justice is supposed to be blind, but isn’t it impossible for lady justice to be blind if we are judged by those who are not? This research paper will discuss the racial disparity in the judicial...
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...The disparities between income and economic status between races is staggering and is steadily continuing to rise. For Americans, evidence between the economic/racial differences within our economy lies within and are tied to our socioeconomic resources. Within Metropolitan areas of large cities, residential segregation is quite prominent and with residential segregation, lies a divide in socioeconomic status and the overall average income for those areas. Many studies have been conducted to observe the interplay and effects of this socioeconomic divide between races and collect data on the consequences and patterns in terms of schooling, employment, community resources, crime rates, single parenthood, and health. Socioeconomic status within...
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...Poverty in African Americans in Inner Cities Branson Ping Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus There are many health disparities in society today. There are disparities between different genders, sexual orientation, location of living, disabilities, and most importantly, socioeconomic status (Healthy People 2020). Of these, this paper will focus on the African-American inner city lower socioeconomic status. Although this population is seen as minuscule when looking at the nation as a whole, the United States government does a less than stellar job at evening the playing field for these individuals. According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2013 the people who identified themselves as African-American mixed race was 15.2% of the United States population and...
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...Health Care Disparities Latanya Breeden Capella University Health Care Disparities America benefits when everyone has the opportunity to live a long, healthy and productive life, yet health disparities persist. A health disparity is a difference in health outcomes across subgroups of the population, often linked to social, economic, or environmental disadvantages (less access to good jobs, unsafe neighborhoods, and lack of affordable transportation options). Health disparities adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health on the basis of 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. The issues that involved in education and lifestyle choice disparities are the socioeconomic circumstances of persons and the places where they live and work strongly influence their health. In the United States, as elsewhere, the risk for mortality, morbidity, unhealthy behaviors, reduced access to health care, and poor quality of care increases with decreasing socioeconomic circumstances. This association is continuous and graded across a population and cumulative over the life course. Educational attainment and family or household income are two indicators used commonly to assess the influence...
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...Health disparities are an important maker of inequality in a society. In the United States, there are large socioeconomic disparities in health. Although low birth weight is not a direct measure of infant morbidity, it is frequently used as a marker for poor health at birth because it is a leading risk factors for infant mortality and for subsequent morbidity among surviving infants. Cultural and ethnic disparities in health disproportionately affect minority Americans. One of the greatest challenges facing the US healthcare system is the persistence of disparities in infant and maternal health among the different racial and ethnic groups. Despite substantial research on determinants of cultural and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes in the United States, much remains to be explained. The differences in socioeconomic status, maternal risky behaviors example: cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption during pregnancy, prenatal care, psychosocial stress, perinatal infection, young maternal age and low educational attainment account for more disparities. The impact of extremely low birth weight babies on family and society is associated with more long term stress, even for well-educated nuclear families whose health care is financed by the government...
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...there are estimated to be about 54 million living in the United States (Office of Minority Health & Health Equity,). The Hispanics are a minority group that struggle every day to survive, to provide for their families, to stay healthy and to live quality lives. This paper will discuss the Hispanics current health status, how health promotion is defined by the Hispanics and what health disparities exist for the Hispanics. Lastly, this paper will discuss the three levels of health prevention and their effectiveness given the unique needs of the Hispanics. The Current Health Status of Hispanics How would one define health status? An individual health status could be defined by someone observing another and gathering information about that person and coming to a conclusion on the facts that were gathered. It is much harder to define the health status of a population. One way to define the health status of an entire population would be to consider the health of the population, their lifespan, the extensiveness of preventable diseases or deaths and the availability of health services that can be used as an indication of their health status (National Center for Health Statistics: Health). Some health problems that the Hispanics face today are heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic liver disease, cancer, asthma, obesity and tobacco use. Cardiac disease is the main cause of death for all ethnic groups in the United States and some risk factors include obesity, hypertension, diabetes...
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...An In-Depth Examination of Racial Disparity from Arrest to Incarceration ENG 122 English Composition II Prof. Ashton Schwarz September 13, 2014 An In-Depth Examination of Racial Disparity from Arrest to Incarceration The disparate number of minorities in prison populations is a concern for many who believe this disproportion is due to a systematic bias in the judicial system. While many factors may contribute to this overwhelming discrepancy, I contend that the disparate number of minority populations in prison is an accurate portrayal of how crime is committed in the United States. In order to understand the cause of this disparity, I will delve into the arrest rates and sentencing statistics that attempt to show why minorities are incarcerated at a higher rate, and why they're incarcerated for longer periods of time, than their white counterpart. These two focal points, arrest rates and sentencing statistics, I believe, are the best for gathering data, considering it is where the justice system both begins and ends. Though many may think that there is a racial bias concerning the disparate number of minorities in prison working against minorities, an article entitled, “Are Blacks and Hispanics Disproportionately Incarcerated Relative to Their Arrests?” provides impressive data to oppose this claim. This article boasts being one of the first studies to include the Hispanic ethnicity in their data, which other studies omitted from, or never incorporated into, their...
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...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 toxic waste sites. With the study the existence of environmental discrimination against these groups was demonstrated, so that environmental justice was claimed to eliminate it. Environmental Justice is the fair...
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...Racial and ethnic disparities in health disproportionately affect minority Americans. One of the greatest challenges facing the US healthcare system is the persistence of disparities in infant and maternal health among the different racial and ethnic groups. Now a day a major concern which is affecting communities on overall pertaining to childbirth is preterm births in the United States of America. In fact, preterm births and low birth weight have negative consequences not only for the infants and their families but also on the society. Actual delivery before 37 weeks of gestation is the primary concern and low birth weights have a major impact on the functional domains, such as cerebral palsy, chronic lung disease, and hyperactivity disorder (Brooks-Gunn J., McCarton C. M., Casey P. H., McCormick M. C., Bauer C. R., Bernbaum J. C., Tonascia J. (1994). Babies who weigh 5.5 pounds (2500grams) or less at birth are low babies with low birth weight. Babies weighing 3.3 pounds (1500 grams) or less are Very low birth weight babies. There is a significant medical and social cost for low birth weight infants and preterm births. Low birth weight is a major predictor of infant mortality. Ethnic and cultural group’s disparities related to low birth weight infant and preterm infant are significantly disproportionate, affecting minority Americans. Although infant morbidity cannot be directly linked with low birth weight but it is a frequently used as a marker for poor health at birth because...
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...Race and Ethnicity in Childhood Obesity Abstract Many early life risk factors for childhood obesity are more prevalent among blacks and Hispanics than among whites and may explain the higher prevalence of obesity among racial/ethnic minority children. Eliminating racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care is a national priority, and obesity is a prime target. During the last 30 years in the United States, the prevalence of obesity among children has dramatically increased, sparing no age group. Obesity in childhood is associated with adverse cardio-metabolic outcomes such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and type II diabetes and with other long-term adverse outcomes, including both physical and psychosocial consequences. By the preschool years, racial/ethnic disparities in obesity prevalence are already present, suggesting that disparities in childhood obesity prevalence have their origins in the earliest stages of life. Several risk factors during pregnancy are associated with increased risk of offspring obesity, including excessive maternal gestational weight gain, gestational diabetes, and smoking during pregnancy, antenatal depression, and biological stress. During infancy and early childhood, rapid infant weight gain, infant feeding practices, sleep duration, child’s diet, physical activity, and sedentary practices are associated with the development of obesity. Studies have found substantial racial/ethnic differences in many of these early life risk factors...
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