Health Disparities

Healthcare researchers, doctors, and advocates are increasingly aware that focusing on health care disparities is an essential facet of improving healthcare outcomes. Initiatives to enhance results must bring together many elements of our healthcare delivery system. African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans have historically been underserved in American healthcare. Despite the possibility for everyone to live a productive, healthy, and long life, health disparities exist in the United States, according to Elimination of Health Disparities (2014). In essence, health disparity refers to the gap in health outcomes among demographic subgroups. Environmental, economic, and social disadvantages are frequently linked to health disparities. Health disparities significantly impact groups of people who have had more issues accessing health care due to ethnicity, cognitive ability, socioeconomic level, religion, age, gender, and mental health. Characteristics linked to exclusion and discrimination are also included in health disparities.Socioeconomic Disparities in Health: Pathways and Policies. Health Affairs, an article by Adler, N. & Newman, K. (2002), explain that the three core health determinants, such as health behavior, environmental exposure, and health treatment, are all influenced by socioeconomic position. Chronic stress linked to a lower socioeconomic status also increases mortality and morbidity. Reducing health disparities based on socioeconomic status necessitates addressing socioeconomic policy efforts such as occupation, education, and income (Adler & Newman, 2002). It has been discovered that socioeconomic position, regardless of work, education, or payment, is associated with many health issues, including cancer, diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and low birth weightCompared to socioeconomically underprivileged children, children with an excellent socioeconomic level have better mental and physical health and improved academic and social performance. However, it can be proven that the relationships are not constant but vary depending on the socioeconomic level indicators used and the ethnicity or race of the kid. There are information gaps since little is known about the relationships in small exploratory studies that have been explored to analyze the relationships between middle childhood developmental outcomes and socioeconomic status (Nuru-Jeter et al., 2010). The most significant degree and wealth attained in the family were discovered to have a substantial relationship across all health categories.By working to improve access to care and lower uninsured rates, health care leaders and medical professionals may help to advance health equity. In addition, to enhance health awareness in afflicted communities, care facilities can adopt community outreach efforts and chronic illness management programs. Other solutions are Health equity can be addressed by increasing awareness through education. Improving resource coordination can also benefit those most disadvantaged by health inequalities. Healthcare organizations, for example, can aid in the reduction of ethnic health disparities by providing cultural competency training to healthcare personnel. By extending educational programming, health care organizations can play a critical role in improving the health literacy of affected communities. Health care organizations should identify the highest-risk groups and target educational and support activities accordingly for maximum impact.  Health disparities are also linked to educational inequity. Dropping out of school is connected to many social and health issues. Individuals with less education are more likely than those with more education to face various health concerns, including obesity, substance addiction, and purposeful and unintentional harm. Higher levels of education are linked to a longer life expectancy and a better chance of acquiring or comprehending essential health information and services needed to make informed health decisions. At the same time, excellent health is linked to academic achievement. Higher academic grades have been linked to higher protective health behaviors and lower health risk behaviors among high school students. Teenage pregnancy, poor dietary choices, insufficient physical activity, physical and mental abuse, substance misuse, and gang membership are all health concerns that major impact adolescents’ academic performance.The information in the sources is credibly relevant because they are determined from the academic peer-reviewed journals since the publications are current hence explaining the complete information about the healthcare disparities. They are still relevant since they always give the information required to teach individuals effects and solutions of how to eliminate the act of distinction in the society and the entire globe.Shavers, V. (2007). Measurement of Socioeconomic Status in Health Disparities Research. Journal of the National Medical Association, 99(9), 1013-1023. Retrieved from http://northstarnews.com/userimages/references/Health%20Care%20Disparities_National%20Medical%20Association%20Journal.pdfThis article focuses on the officials in charge of public health, and experts have realized that the environment in which one lives impacts one’s health. Contextual techniques objectively entail the measuring of ecological areas as well as a tiered analysis. Contextual approaches to socioeconomic status look at the economic and social variables that affect people who live in the same place (Shaver’s, 2007). The social standards, constructed environment, and availability of products and services, among other things, are usually determined by the community. Neighborhoods and geographic areas are the most commonly measured areas. Census blocks, census tracts, and ZIP codes are all included in the neighborhoods. States, regions, and counties are other geographic locations where measurements are taken. Access to health care in the United States is often difficult for persons of specific racial and ethnic groups, people from low-income families, and people who reside in rural areas. The Appalachian Regional Commission, for example, reports that the low-income, rural Appalachian area has 35 percent fewer mental health professionals and 28 percent fewer specialty specialists than the rest of the country (ARC). Although telehealth may enhance access to health care, the region’s internet subscription rates are lower than the country’s.Kilbourne, A., Switzer, G., Hyman, K., Crowley-Matoka, M., & Fine, M. (2006). Advancing Health Disparities Research within the Health Care System: A Conceptual Framework. Am J Public Health, 96(12), This article focuses on many health disparities caused by social, racial, and economic imbalances. Health care practitioners can work with legislators to encourage them to assist communities affected by these causes. They can, for example, use health disparity statistics and evidence-based clinical knowledge to advocate expanding health coverage to people who don’t have it. Racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the healthcare workforce and have limited access to healthcare resources. On the other hand, rural and low-income populations often have fewer healthcare professionals per capita than metropolitan and high-income areas. These towns all have the same problem: they have few options for seeking medical help (Kilbourne et al., 2006). Providers can better serve people in these at-risk locations by strengthening and sustaining health care resources. Sarcone, J. (2016). Healthcare and cultural disparities. Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_3028-1 Agencies, organizations, coalitions, boards, and councils working to address the core causes of health disparities can engage with health care institutions. The American Medical Association (AMA), for example, aims to diversify the physician workforce so that it reflects the racial and ethnic diversity of communities. The American Medical Association also funds public health literacy projects. Monitoring and recording a program’s efficacy and health impact allows healthcare organizations to determine what’s working and where improvements may be made to improve everyone’s health.Disparities in patient healthcare experience among older adults with serious mental illness. (2016). The Gerontologist, 56(Suppl_3), 642–642. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnw162.2606 The article focuses on the most significant discrepancy is found in middle age. According to a study published in JAMA Network, the mortality rate disparity between older white and black adults persists. Individuals in urban regions have closed the difference in the last 60 years. However, during the same period, the disparity between Black and white men living in rural areas has worsened. According to the National Cancer Institute, there are differences in mortality rates based on educational background. Colorectal cancer is more likely to kill people under 65, regardless of race.In conclusion, it’s critical to provide a framework for future healthcare studies, policymakers, and practitioners to track healthcare disparities. Priorities could vary from detecting differences in health care to determining the mechanisms that cause disparities and, eventually, designing actions to remove and reduce inequalities. Policymakers, managers, physicians, and researchers in the healthcare setting could use the future framework to monitor future inequities. The framework should lay out the study process from the first observation of health inequalities in healthcare to determining the causes that cause the disparities, and finally implementing interventions to eradicate and reduce the disparities. For future research to illustrate the relationship between health outcomes, racism, and class, appropriate measurements should be recommended based on racism and type.