How racial inequality in American society contributes to poorer health outcomes for PoC [View all]

[YoungDemCA]

Some information from Stanford professor Donald Barr here:

"A principal determinant of access to health care in the United States is the availability of health insurance. As is the case with health status, those from lower SES groups in the United States also have worse access to health care, based on this econmic fact of life. However, a growing body of research has shown that, even when people have the same level of health insurance and are treated for the same disease by the same physicians and hospitals, those from minority racial or ethnic groups often get worse care - either not receiving care when appropriate or receiving care that is lower in quality."

Barr, D. A. (2014). Health disparities in the United States: Social class, race, ethnicity, and health. JHU Press. p. xiv-xv

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=8kZjBAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=food+health+america+social+class&ots=-52kOxj5GI&sig=0S-wRKOY8IA6cqlR8BA1w_vI1JE#v=onepage&q&f=false

I should note that in Chapter 4 of this book, Donald Barr introduces the concept of allostatic load, which he defines as "the physiologic response to the stress of being in a position of social disadvantage, which over a period of years can result in physiologic injury and illness" (p.xiv).


Other stuff:

From the CDC website:

- African Americans in 2009 had the largest death rates from heart disease and stroke compared with other racial and ethnic populations; these disparities in deaths were also found across age groups younger than 85 years of age.

- From 2007-2010, the largest prevalence of hypertension was among adults aged 65 years and older, African American adults, US-born adults, adults with less than a college education, adults who received public health insurance (18- 64 years old) and those with diabetes, obesity, or a disability, compared with their counterparts. The percentages of African American and Hispanic adults who had control of high blood pressure were lower than among white adults.

snip:

Infants of African American women in 2008 had the largest death rate, which was more than twice the rate among infants of white women.

African Americans in 2009 had the largest death rates from homicide among all racial and ethnic populations. Rates among African American males were the largest across all age groups.

African American adults in 2010 had the largest HIV infection rate compared with rates among adults of other racial and ethnic populations. Prescribed HIV treatment among African American adults living with HIV was less than among white adults.

In 2010, a larger percentage of Hispanic and African American adults aged 18-64 years were without health insurance compared with white and Asian/Pacific Islander counterparts.

snip:

In 2011, similar to other racial and ethnic minority adults aged 25 years or older, African American adults had a larger percentage who did not complete high school compared with white adults. Also, a larger percentage of African American adults lived below the poverty level and (ages 18-64 years) were unemployed compared with white adults

snip:

Factors contributing to poor health outcomes among African Americans include discrimination; cultural, linguistic and literacy barriers; and lack of access to health care.

http://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/populations/REMP/black.html

As always, free to share your thoughts, comments, or even stories.