1. What does the term health disparities mean?
Health disparities are the discriminations that happen in the establishment of healthcare and access to health across a variety of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. Health care discrepancies refer to inconsistencies in health and health care between different groups. Disparities occur across many dispositions. These dispositions include ethnicities, social and financial status, age, and gender. A lot of different groups are at larger risks of not being insured and have poorer health outcomes. These groups include minorities and people with low-income. (National Institute of Health, 2017)
2. Which racial/ethnic groups are more likely to be affected by health disparities? Why?
In the U.S., health disparities are a large problem among ethnic minorities. Research has connected these ethnic minorities with a larger prevalence of chronic conditions along with a higher prevalence of morbidity and inferior health outcomes, especially when compared with the majority white groups. According to National Institute of Health (2017), the incident rate of cancer among African Americans is 10% higher than among whites. African Americans and Latinos are also approximately twice as likely to develop diabetes as white people are.
3. What are causes of health disparities?
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According to the National Institute of Health (2017), several factors that lead to these disparities are poor access to healthcare, poverty, exposure to environmental problems, inadequate level of education, and individual and behavioral factors. Furthermore, there is a direct correlation between low income, low education level, and poorer health results with elevated morbidity and mortality. According to the National Institute of Health, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, elevated blood lead level, and low birth weight are more prevalent among individuals with low income and low educational