Health Disparities Essay

1. What does the term health disparities mean?
Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. Populations can be defined by factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, education, or income, disability, geographic location orientation. Health disparities are inequitable and are directly related to the historical and current unequal distribution of social, political, economic, and environmental resources (CDC).
2. Which racial/ethnic groups are more likely to be affected by health disparities? Why?
Every racial/ethnic group has better health disparities than others, but African American are more likely to be affect by health disparities. African

What are causes of health disparities?
The causes of health disparities come from lack of access to health services, behaviors, and education. A person with a high education, gets a high paying job, would have access to a great health plan that he or she can afford. The behaviors people have when it comes to health might frighten a person to see a doctor. The lack of physical activity, and poor diet habits can lead to more problems and money that they do not have to fix the problem. If the person lives in a poor community the education about health is poor.
4. What are some reasons for disparities in access to health care?
The lack of financial resources can be a big problem to access to health care. The lack of available finance is a barrier to health care for many Americans but access to health care is reduced most among minority populations. The irregular source of care is another reason why access to health is a disparity. Compared to white individuals ethnic or racial minorities are less likely to be able to visit the same doctor on a regular basis and tend to rely more on clinics and emergency rooms (News Medical Life Sciences).

5. How can health disparities be