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The Unnatural Causes: Place Matters Summary

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The Unnatural Causes: Place Matters video, explains how environmental factors impact the health and lifespan of an individual. Additionally, the video also gives some history on how disadvantaged neighborhoods were created through government policies that favored Caucasian families. Also, the video focuses on Richmond, a disadvantaged city in California, and the detrimental health of its community members. Lastly, the video focuses on an improved and former disadvantaged neighborhood called High Point located in Seattle, Washington. The video features doctors, sociologists, psychologists, and public health professionals explaining how environmental factors contribute to a detrimental lifestyle and health status. In the video, Sociologist, David Williams explains that health is fixed in the quality of neighborhoods and housing. Also, the video explains that place matters because …show more content…

Richmond started off as a decent neighbored and has been a neglected and disadvantage neighborhood decades after World War II was over. After World War II, the government created a policy that assisted Caucasian families in purchasing homes in the suburbs. This left minorities in a city that was not well organized nor suited for a healthy lifestyle. For example, Richmond has many liquor stores, fast food places, high rates of violence and crime, and poor quality schools. Also, according to Doctor Wendel Brunner, Richmond has higher rates of asthma, diabetes, hospitalization rates, and lower life expectancies. Living in underprivileged neighborhoods creates a lot of stress on community members that predispose them to contracting diseases. Epidemiologist, Ana Diez-Roux, states that people living in disadvantaged neighborhoods have a 50% to 80% increased risk of developing heart disease. An improvement of health policies is required to for disadvantaged neighborhoods to

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