Causes Of Health Disparities

1. What does the term health disparities mean?

Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or in opportunities to achieve optimal health experienced by socially disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and other population groups, and communities (Healthy Aging, 2017). An example of a health disparity would be if women were more likely than men to die from pancreatic cancer. Anyone is capable of having a health disparity. Several factors such as gender, age, social class, race, and where the person lives can cause one to inhibit a health disparity, lessening his or her chances of obtaining good health.

2. Which racial/ethnic groups are more likely to be affected by health disparities? Why?

A link between poverty, low educational attainment and poorer health outcomes with increased morbidity and mortality is well established (Causes of Health Disparities, n.d.). Also, certain religious practices may not allow one person to obtain the believed cure or care needed to prevent certain illnesses and diseases. A lack of income and low educational attainment decreases one 's chances of having quality access to healthcare. If one is not able to afford health care or is ignorant to what the health care field has to offer, illness and disease may build up over time, increasing chances for a health disparity. Gender and age could also cause one not to want to obtain health care, furthermore decreasing their health. Men are less likely to visit the doctor as a result of stubbornness, which may be the cause of a disparity. I have also heard as one gets older, some visit the doctor less often and refuse care. This can cause older people to be prone to even more illness and disease than if they were to visit the

Those who work in the health care field can create and promote a plan for decreasing disparities in health care. Interventions can also be held based upon one 's race, social status, age, or any of the other factor contributing to health disparities. Providing health care equally to all people will also assist in ending disparities. If everyone is given equal opportunities and treatment, then everyone will be at a fair advantage for good health despite their race, geographic location, age, or socioeconomic structure.

References

Causes of Health Disparities. (n.d.). Retrieved March 05, 2018, from http://www.epi.umn.edu/let/nutri/disparities/causes.shtm

Chen, J. (2016, February). Retrieved March 05, 2018, from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4711386/

Disparities in Healthcare Quality Among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups | AHRQ Archive. (n.d.). Retrieved March 05, 2018, from

https://archive.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqrdr10/minority.html

Healthy Aging. (2017, January 31). Retrieved March 05, 2018, from https://www.cdc.gov/aging/disparities/index.htm

Health Equity. (2016, October 03). Retrieved March 05, 2018, from