In our class this semester, we spent some time
discussing health disparities. We have
addressed this issue in several classes now.
“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.”
Last year we watched a very interesting video called
“Unnatural Causes.” It was very
informative documentary that looks closely at the inequality of healthcare
according to a persons’ socioeconomic status (SES) in a community. The series examined several different
employees with different life circumstances from the same company to highlight
the differences regarding access to care.
If you have some time, I recommend it.
Health disparities should really include so many
factors but at the very least, socioeconomic status, physical environment,
access to healthcare and access to nutritious foods. When these circumstances are compounded with
additional stressors, there are detrimental effects on health status. The stressors could lead to higher rates of
injury, illness and premature death related to unsafe living environment or
unhealthy lifestyle choices.
I found a visual that illustrated the causes of
health disparities.
I liked the simplicity of that model but felt like
there were missing elements. I started
looking at many options on the internet but was not quite satisfied with the
results. I decided to take the
information that I was collecting and turn it into a more complete model. Below is the model that I have created. I think it still needs some work – and there
are always other outside influences that could be added.
I definitely wanted the core of the matter to be
individual behavior. You cannot resolve
certain issues by eating right and
exercising – but it always seems to be a good place to start.
Overall I am happy with the result. What do you think?
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