...Reutter and Kushner (2010) draws our attention to health disparities as it is an emerging crisis worldwide. The theoretical article identifies three problems that are prevalent in tackling health inequities: (1) not knowing the difference between health disparities and health inequities; (2) insufficient knowledge regarding policy advocacy and (3) “societal barriers and constraints within the nursing profession” (Reutter & Kushner, 2010, p. 278). Primary Health Care (PHC) is a social justice model conceptualized by Alma- Ata Declaration with the intention of reducing health disparities (WHO, 1978). The purpose of PHC was to achieve “health for all the people … by the year 2000” (WHO, 1978, p. 5). Reutter and Kushner (2010) elucidate that it...
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...Racial Disparity in U.S. Diagnoses of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, 2000 –2009 Qian An, MS, Joseph Prejean, PhD, H. Irene Hall, PhD This activity is available for CME credit. See page A3 for information. Background: Increased attention has been focused on health disparities among racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. Purpose: To assess the extent of progress toward meeting the targets of Healthy People 2010 objectives and eliminating disparities. Methods: All diagnoses of AIDS during 2000 –2009 among people aged Ն13 years in the 50 states and District of Columbia, reported to national HIV surveillance through June 2010, together with census population data were used in this analysis (conducted in March 2011). This study assesses the trend in racial/ethnic disparities in rates of AIDS diagnoses both between particular groups using rate difference (RD) and rate ratio (RR) and across the entire range of racial/ethnic subgroups using three summary measures of disparity: between-group variance (BGV); Theil index (TI); and mean log deviation (MLD). Results: The overall racial/ethnic disparity, black–white disparity, and Hispanic–white disparity in rates of AIDS diagnoses decreased for those aged 25– 64 years from 2000 to 2009. The black–white and Hispanic–white disparity in rates of AIDS diagnoses also decreased among men aged Ն65 years; however, the black–white disparity increased among young men aged 13–24 years (BGV: pϽ0.001, black–white RD: pϽ0.01) from...
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...Healthcare has grown substantially across the United States in recent years; there are constantly new medical studies to allow everyone to have the best quality of life possible. While this may seem as though improvements are being made for everyone in the country, this is far from the truth. Minority groups have been subject to several types of health disparities, and are not as impacted by the healthcare system because of this. “Furthermore, statistics showed that the poor and minorities - blacks, Native Americans, and Hispanics - had higher rates of illness, more days lost from work, a greater infant mortality rate, and a shorter life expectancy” (Sherrow 37). In both the average society and medical facilities, racial minorities have been...
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...a host of other disparities and factors. Therefore, teenager girls who live in poverty may feel that becoming a mother will give them a purpose in life and feel better about their economic condition. Due to this, poverty is a key factor of teenage pregnancy. In order to decrease the high prevalent of teenage pregnancy...
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...Three Abbreviated Research Plans Introduction Public health practitioner, when presented with a crisis, problem, or circumstances in the community can use the different research methods, such as quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. These advance plans of query explore not only potential clarification, but it explores different route that will conclude an exact treatment or intervention and influence an outcome. The three abbreviated research plans will be outlined in this paper, will provide possible clarification to the rising concerns in the U.S. on health disparities in to the people in the community that have limited or no health insurance that will prevent them from receiving adequate medication, health care, and the use of preventive measures such as diet and exercise (Walden, 2012). Strength and Limitation of Research Methods The two major strengths found in the quantitative research methods are that using the strategy of inquiry, the researcher have the chance to test and confirm presented theories about how and why incident happen and test theory assemble before the information is achieve to study a large number of people in a determined community or population (Creswell, 2009). The next strength of this research is that based on the findings, the investigator can make an overview when the composed information is based on casual samples of major size (Creswell, 2009). According to Creswell (2009), the strength for the qualitative methods is the data...
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...I E S IN T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S THE ECONOMIC BURDEN OF HEALTH INEQUALITIES IN THE UNITED STATES Thomas A. LaVeist, Ph.D. Darrell J. Gaskin, Ph.D. Patrick Richard, Ph.D. September 2009 foreward Not everyone in the United States enjoys the same health opportunities. Studies show that minority Americans experience poorer than average health outcomes from cradle to the grave. They are much more likely to die as infants, have higher rates of diseases and disabilities, and have shorter life spans. As the U.S. Congress and the Obama Administration work toward enactment of legislation to reform America’s health care system, a central focus of the debate has been the projected cost of ensuring accessible and affordable health care to every citizen. While some have struggled with the premise that health care reform can actually reduce health-related spending, the experience of racial and ethnic minorities under our current health care system is a strong indication that improving opportunities for good health – and minimizing inequities in health care access and outcomes – may well be good for the nation’s fiscal health, as well. This study, commissioned by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and carried out by leading researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, provides important insight into how much of a financial burden racial disparities are putting on our health care system and society at large. The researchers examined the...
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...An important health disparity that exists in the world today is diabetes disproportionately affecting Non-Hispanic Blacks. Through extensive research, one can discover many solutions to decrease this disparity. In order to reach these conclusions one must first uncover what causes this disparity as well as the prevalence and incidence rates. The prevalence and incidence is much higher for Non-Hispanic Blacks than for other races. A survey conducted in 2010 shows that 18.7% of Non-Hispanic Blacks ages twenty and older have diabetes (2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet). This prevalence is 9% higher than what research has shown for Non-Hispanic Whites. The incidence rate of diabetes in Non-Hispanic blacks has been increasing since 1997 and is currently 5.4% higher than in Non-Hispanic Whites (Age-Adjusted Incidence of Diagnosed Diabetes). Due to the fact that this is one of the fastest-growing groups in the United States, this will only continue to increase (National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse). There are clearly some very influential factors that are affecting these extreme differences. There are many factors...
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...1 Details: You are an epidemiologist, and have been asked to speak at Career Day for Myers College, a community college in your area. The theme of this year's Career Day is "Little Known Health Science Fields." Epidemiology has been identified as one such field, and you have been tasked with introducing the science to the students. In 500-750 words, address the following: 1. Define epidemiology. 2. Identify five objectives of epidemiology. 3. Identify and explain three subspecialties within epidemiology. Refer to the "Areas of Epidemiology" resource. You are required to use a minimum of two scholarly resources. Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. This assignment uses a grading rubric. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade the assignment; therefore, students should review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the assignment criteria and expectations for successful completion of the assignment. You are required to submit this assignment to Turnitin. Refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. Only Word documents can be submitted to Turnitin. Areas of Epidemiology If you need a review of the areas of study in Epidemiology view the resources below. • View the Epidemiological Specialties Interview on the Videojug website at http://www.videojug.com/interview/epidemiological-specialties-2 • Explore...
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...Healthcare Disparities amongst minorities Racial and ethnic minorities have a predisposition to obtain a lower quality of healthcare than those of non-minorities, even when access-related factors, such as a patients’ insurance status and income, are measured. The sources of these disparities are complex, and are rooted in historic and contemporary injustices, and includes numerous participants at several levels, including health systems, their administrative and bureaucratic processes, utilization managers, healthcare professionals, and patients. Research and studies have found indications that stereotyping, prejudices, and uncertainty on the behalf of healthcare providers can all contribute to unequal treatment. The situations in which many clinical encounters take place - written off as high time pressure, cognitive complexity, and pressures for cost containment, may perhaps increase the chance that these practices will consequently result in care poorly matched to minority patients’ needs. Minorities can experience a range of other barriers to accessing care, even when insured at the same level as Caucasians; which may include language barriers, geographical areas, and cultural familiarities. Furthermore, financial and institutional arrangements of health systems, as well as the legal, regulatory, and political atmosphere in which they function, may have unequal and negative effects on minorities’ capability to reach quality care. A widespread, multi-level...
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...Descriptive Epidemiology Case Study 1 Managerial Epidemiology – HAS 535 – Descriptive Epidemiology Case Study: Diabetes Descriptive Epidemiology Case Study 2 Diabetes, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States is a disease in which the body has a shortage of insulin, a decreased ability to use insulin, or both. Insulin is a hormone that allows glucose (sugar) to enter cells and be converted to energy. When diabetes is not controlled, glucose and fats remain in the blood, and, overtime, damage vital organs. In a healthy person, blood sugar levels, which fluctuates based on food intake, exercise and other factors are kept within an acceptable by insulin. Insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas, helps the body absorb excess sugar from the bloodstream; therefore, in people with diabetes, the pancreas does not produce insulin thus increasing the blood sugar levels making it difficult to be controlled by insulin. Type 1 diabetes, diagnosed in children and young adults (although it can occur at any age) is an autoimmune disease that may be caused by genetic, environmental or other factors. It accounts for about 5 percent of diabetes cases. Although there are no known ways to prevent it, administration of insulin is an effective treatment. Type 2...
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...States. Even though diversity was prevalent; the demographic profile continues to grow and change (Gordon, 2013). In order provide effective and efficient health services; health care organizations need to develop cultural and linguistic competence (Gordon, 2013). The aim for health care organizations is to achieve cultural competence as evidenced by every patient regardless of race, ethnicity, culture or language receiving the highest-quality care (Betancourt, Green, Carrillo, & Park, 2005). Betancourt, Green, Carillo, and Ananeh-Firempong II (2003) defined a cultural competent health care organization as one that recognizes and integrates the importance of culture, cultural differences, cultural knowledge and services to meet the distinctive needs of the culture. This cultural competence encompasses integration and interaction of beliefs, behaviors, disease prevalence and incidence and treatment outcomes for diverse patient populations (Betancourt et al., 2003). In the case study: Diversity Conflicts in the NICU the manager has identified practices in the NICU that are not representative of a culturally competent organization. While reflecting on the diverse population that her staff comprises of the manager debates changing her hiring practices to avoid the amount of growing conflicts. Gordon (2013) discusses how health care organizations have an obligation to develop policies and practices that will assist in recruiting, retaining, and managing the various cultures represented...
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...Health Disparity Among African-Americans Melissa Swanson Grand Canyon University Family Centered Health Promotion NRS-429V-0506 Sandi Coufal February 8, 2015 Heath Disparity among African-Americans The United States is a melting pot of cultural diversity. For a country that was founded by individuals fleeing persecution, it has taken us many years to grant African-Americans equal rights, and even longer for those rights to be recognized. Despite all the effort to eliminate inequality in this country, health disparity among this minority group remains a significant issue. Research in this area has pointed to several key reasons for this gap that center on differences in culture, socioeconomics, and lack of health literacy. The CDC Health Disparities & Inequalities Report of 2011 shows the average American’s life expectancy at 78.8 years, while the average African-American should expect to live only 75.3 years. The statistics gathered by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) are striking in painting the health status of African-Americans in this country. African-American infants have a mortality rate twice that of Caucasian infants. The CDC recognized that African-Americans lead the nation in death rates from heart disease and stroke, as compared to any other ethnicity. The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health presented data in 2012 showing that African-American adults have a 40% higher rate of hypertension and a 10% less...
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...There are several forms of mental illness that those who are physically disabled have a higher risk of attaining than those who are not. Collingwood (2010) noted that people who have any type of physical disease or disability tend to feel more psychological distress than their counterparts who are healthier. Those who have poor physical health have an increased problem of depression, as do the social and relationship problems that are common among chronically ill patients. Nosek and Simmons (2007) stated that for the longest time, health disparities among Americans with disabilities have been ignored within the field of public health. There has been proven evidence that mental health can be a secondary complication to a person aqcuiring a disability according to Honey, Emerson, Llewellyn, and Kariuki (2010). Wisdom et al., (2010) noted that health disparities affecting the nearly 40 million Americans with disabilities (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005) have begun to gain more recognition over the past decade, as reflected in the release of several publications by the federal government intented to inform and guide policy and practice (U.S. Department of Health and Human...
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...obesity are more prevalent among blacks and Hispanics than among whites and may explain the higher prevalence of obesity among racial/ethnic minority children. Eliminating racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care is a national priority, and obesity is a prime target. During the last 30 years in the United States, the prevalence of obesity among children has dramatically increased, sparing no age group. Obesity in childhood is associated with adverse cardio-metabolic outcomes such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and type II diabetes and with other long-term adverse outcomes, including both physical and psychosocial consequences. By the preschool years, racial/ethnic disparities in obesity prevalence are already present, suggesting that disparities in childhood obesity prevalence have their origins in the earliest stages of life. Several risk factors during pregnancy are associated with increased risk of offspring obesity, including excessive maternal gestational weight gain, gestational diabetes, and smoking during pregnancy, antenatal depression, and biological stress. During infancy and early childhood, rapid infant weight gain, infant feeding practices, sleep duration, child’s diet, physical activity, and sedentary practices are associated with the development of obesity. Studies have found substantial racial/ethnic differences in many of these early life risk factors for childhood obesity. It is possible that racial/ethnic differences in early life risk factors...
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...“Racial and ethnic disparities in health care are known to reflect access to care and other issues that arise from differing socioeconomic conditions”.1 There is increasing evidence that even after such differences are accounted for, race and ethnicity remain predictors of the quality of health care received. Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that is experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. Factors such as race or ethnicity, gender, education, or income, disability, geographic location such as rural or urban, or sexual orientation can define populations. The goal of the research paper is to present the magnitude and importance of racial...
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