Health Care Disparities Summary

Improved Essays
Summary of “Health and Health Care Disparities: The Effect of Social and Environmental Factors on Individual and Population Health”
Educational status, socioeconomic level, and health condition are in direct correlation to one another, according to numerous studies. These factors impact not only individual lives, but society and health as a whole.
How is diversity changing healthcare? Diversity increases as the population of the United States continues to rise. Lower levels of educational achievement and an increase in poverty level living are a result of such a mixed society, as well. The mixture of low education and an increase in poverty effects individual and population health. Studies illustrate that minorities (African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders) have an inferior quality of health in relation to whites (non-minority population). Some researchers believe that this poor quality of health is prominently a consequence of inadequate health literacy among minorities.
How influential is health literacy in healthcare? An interrelation exists between education and health. Knowledge on the basic aspects of healthy living along with access to healthcare are critical factors in attaining and sustaining ones’
…show more content…
Beginning to educate young minorities, as well as maintaining health literacy among non-minority groups, will decrease the gap, according to researchers. Experts suggest providing experiences in academic enhancement programs during the summer months, for individuals with lower socioeconomic status, will encourage healthy lifestyles and discourage negative activities that tend to take place during time spent out of school. Improving individuals’ knowledge on and interaction with health ultimately results in better well-being for both the individual and society. Education significantly influences

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    If the universities involved are classified as “minority-serving institutions (MSIs)” (Benabentos, Ray, & Kumar, 2014), their implementation of health disparity courses will exert the same effect to the students mentioned earlier. These MSIs are…

    • 1311 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Disparities that need to be addressed are, cardiovascular disease and cancer in minority groups. Stress is a major factor when it comes to minority groups and their health disparities. Typically minority groups also have a lower income, and that will also contribute to the health disparity. People with more money tend to be less stressed, and minority groups are also stressed by socioeconomic factors. To address the health disparities in Fort Bend several different strategies will have to be accomplished in order to eliminate the health disparities.…

    • 348 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Racial disparities are a major issue in healthcare affecting mostly minorities as studies have confirmed. Root causes have been identified but with little achievement in removing the root causes. People perceptions can impact how care if given or received when there is distrust in the system or biased decision base on fraudulent research that support a claim. ACO and outcome based treatment may try to fix the problem, however, until the root causes of racial disparities are addressed and fixed, there won't be a breakthrough in fixing the problem in healthcare.…

    • 91 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    1. What does the term health disparities mean? Healthy People 2020 define health disparities as, “a particular type of health difference that is closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage” (“Disparities,” n.d., para.5). Health disparities affects groups of people who have a difficult time with their health.…

    • 288 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Medical researchers have made significant advancement over the past century. These advances in medical research and technology have resulted in better outcomes for life expectancy and reduced the burden of disease. One thing medical researchers fail to foresee is improving high school dropout rates is a public health concern, especially the populations most at risk. Yet, health professionals decline to take the opportunity to look at their approach to systematically improving health and reducing health disparities (Freudenberg & Ruglis, 2007). Public health professionals should make reducing high school dropout rates a public health priority.…

    • 699 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Economic conditions, including food and lifestyle, have a direct impact on access to healthcare, life expectancy, chronic illnesses, and overall health (Carmignani, Shankar, Tan, & Tang, 2014). Education and social impacts also has an impact on individuals having better knowledge of health information and health-related decisions (Carmignani et al., 2014). Healthcare organizations and providers should be aware of the dynamics of the populations that they serve with the purpose of developing services that will best serve their community and to provide amenities that impact the health of the population the…

    • 1527 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    Disparities In Healthcare

    • 1249 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Healthcare disparities exist among racial/ethnic minorities in the United States. It 's a basic human right to receive the highest quality of care regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender, and the level of treatment or quality of care people receive should not be determined by their race or ethnicity. Although people are aware of this, yet not everyone gets the same quality of care or treatment in the U.S. The United States spends more money on healthcare delivery than most developed countries, and yet the quality of healthcare is lower than most of the developed countries due to healthcare disparities among racial/ethnic minorities (Lavizzo-Mourey, R., 2008). Racial/ethnic minorities are more likely to disproportionately suffer from healthcare…

    • 1249 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Health Resources and Services Administration defines health disparities as population specific differences in the presence of disease, health outcomes, or even access to healthcare (Health Resources & Services Administration, 2016, para. 1). Age, race or ethnicity, sex, sexual identity, socioeconomic status, disability, and geographic location all contribute to an individual’s ability to achieve good health. Studies have shown that these groups have higher rates of chronic conditions along with higher prevalence of mortality and poorer health outcomes, when compared with other populations. It is important to recognize the impact of these social determinants on health outcomes of these populations. In the film, The American Nurse, we…

    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Racial disparities are a matter of critical importance as the racial and ethnic minority group population of the United States will increase to nearly 40% by 2030 (Copeland, 2005). Literature and Data Review A driving force behind such inequalities in the simple notion of one having access to health insurance. Moonesinghe, Chang and Truman (2013) noted the unemployment rate from 2008 to 2009 had risen from 5.8% to 9.3%. Many people do not have access to health care while unemployed.…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Inequality In Health Care

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Health disparities are inequalities in the quality of health care. Many communities in California and in the world are affected by the excessive amounts of pollutions in their surroundings. Generally,…

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    A possible cause of this problem is healthcare has ties to social injustices, opportunities, quality of life to our patients and our communities. Health and health care disparities can be described as the differences which cannot be explained by variety in health care needs, patient preferences, or treatment recommendations. Articles reviewed…

    • 1554 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Despite major advances in medicine and public health during the past few decades, disparities in health and health care persist. Health disparities are prevalent in the United States and are significant among underrepresented racial and ethnic groups (Mitchell, 2015). Compared to white Americans, these groups are uninsured or underinsured, have decreased access to care, and receive poor quality of care (Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality [AHRQ], 2013). Nurses can aid in reducing health care disparities through health systems interventions, cultural competency, and patient, provider relationship interventions.…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In America, different income statuses hold different health opportunities. The more money you have the better access to healthcare you have. People with a lower income are going to have less money to put toward healthcare so there health is impacted. In areas of low income, the education system is usually lacking, the environment is poor, and there isn’t access to many healthcare options. According to a 2009 study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, eliminating health disparities for minorities would have reduced direct medical care expenditures by $229.4 billion and reduced indirect costs associated with illness and premature death by approximately $1 trillion during 2003–2006.…

    • 1044 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Social Determinants Social determinants are the conditions in which people are born, where they live, grow, age and work. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of power, money, and resources at local, global, and national levels (Social determinants, 2015). Many factors are considered when determining what affects the health of individuals as well as entire communities. Health is affected by environmental and circumstantial factors. It is largely influenced by income, education level, relationships with friends and family, the environment, state of residence, as well as genetics (Social determinants, 2015).…

    • 842 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Health literacy is defined as an individual’s ability to use cognitive, social and navigational skills to obtain, process and understand health information and services in order to make appropriate and beneficial health decisions (Lambert & Keogh, 2014; WHO, 2015). The concept of health literacy is a major determinant of a population’s health, meaning it is an important concept to grasp from an early age. Therefore, strategies on how to improve health literacy of the population will be discussed, as well as the importance of health professionals and health literacy in general and the relationship that health literacy plays in primary health care. Health literacy is a vital skill for achieving positive health outcomes and reducing health inequalities.…

    • 1331 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays