Class Impact On Health

Studies have shown that class has a very clear impact on health. In fact, according to this film, twice as many affluent Americans say they are in at “very good” or “excellent” health compared to poorer Americans. This dilemma is particularly worse in the United States since the income inequality gap is large and continues to rise, so those in the bottom quartiles have less access to health care. The statistics are shocking and show that an individuals’ financial status will affect a variety of different aspects of his or her life.
One of the main reasons that class has an impact on health is based on the theory of social stress, which explains that “lower-class persons have higher rates of mental illness because of the stresses of lower-class life” (Weitz 2017). If a person is struggling to put food on the table and begins to lose control over his or her life, the body responds to this stress by releasing cortisol. This is useful in rare and infrequent situations, but too …show more content…
Although all individuals are genetically the same, there are great health disparities amongst the variety of races in the United States. According to the film, African Americans have significantly worse health outcomes than white individuals. One man mentioned that he feels he constantly has to be on guard against racism, which can lead to extra stress and cortisol being released. They also have higher mortality and morbidity rates, are more likely to die from homicide, and do not receive transplants as often as non-Hispanic whites. In contrast, Hispanic individuals overall have a higher life expectancy overall, but their health status varies throughout this race. Next, Native Americans have a lower life expectancy than most other races and are more likely to live with disabilities and chronic diseases. Finally, some Asian Americans have excellent overall health statuses, others are poor immigrants with limited access to health