Question

Provide a summary and personal reflection of (3) episodes of the documentary “Unnatural Causes”.  Unnatural Causes - In Sickness and In Wealth The two required episodes are: episode 1 - “In sickness and in Wealth” and episode 2 - “Place Matters”. Select a third episode to watch from below youtube videos -

Describe (1) what you learned, (2) how it relates to our class discussions about socioeconomic determinants of health and vulnerable populations; (3) what are the challenges involved in changing neighborhoods and, ultimately health outcomes; (4) how racism imposes an additional health burden on people of color; and (5) what is “everyday” racism vs. “structural” racism and how does this impact health.

Also, watch the following (3) short videos and describe the commonalities between these videos and Unnatural Causes.

1. If you want to talk health, you have to talk income & wealth - youtube

2. If you want to talk health, you have to talk social connection. - youtube

3. If you want to talk health, you have to talk housing - youtube

Please provide a long paragraph of about a page.

Answer 1

Provide a summary and personal reflection of (3) episodes of the documentary “Unnatural Causes”. Unnatural Causes - In Sickness and In Wealth

Episode 1 - “In sickness and in Wealth”

Summary:

The episode “In sickness and in Wealth” focusses on why we fall sick, what are the connections between wealth and sickness and how sickness can be countered by not prescribing more medicines but targetting the source of illness and bridging the economic disparity.

Personal reflection:

There is a need to eradicate racism, unequal pay, bridging income gaps and reducing overall stress. Wealth should not be a factor in deciding whether we can fight the sickness. Also, there should be more factors that help us avoid falling sick.

Episode 2 - “Place Matters”

The episode “Place Matters” talks about how the place that we live affects our health. By living in neglected neighborhoods, African Americans, Latinos and SouthEast Asians are falling increasingly sick due to pollutants and lack of basic necessities in living situations.

Personal reflection:

It is possible to improve the quality of life in such neglected neighborhoods when residents,
government agencies, local officials, foundations and private business decides to work together. It is important that people are not blamed for the lack of basic infrastructure.

Chosen episode: Episode 3 - "Becoming American"

Summary:

The episode "Becoming American" talks about how people who migrate from poorer countries are in better health when they arrive and over the course of time, once they are Americanized - become unhealthy and even sick.

Personal reflection:

This episode shows all that is wrong with our eating habits, the capitalist mindset and mindless run behind money leaving behind health issues and bad health in general.

(1) what you learned

I've learned the following:

1. It is important to stop racist practices and be a person who treats everyone equally.
2. It is important to do one's part in making sure that one's neighborhood is safe and has the basic necessities to lead a healthy life
3. It is necessary that we adopt healthy eating habits and let go of our sedentary lifestyle by being more active physically and mentally.

(2) how it relates to our class discussions about socioeconomic determinants of health and vulnerable populations;

Just like in our discussions, it shows that people who are better off in the socioeconomic conditions have better access to basic necessities, better food, and better healthcare. This is why immigrants and people of color find it difficult to lead a healthy life - their lives are discriminated based on color.

(3) what are the challenges involved in changing neighborhoods and, ultimately health outcomes;

Lack of trust in the system and the agencies implementing the system. Changing neighborhoods requires local community support and even federal funding which is very difficult to obtain as trust itself is not gained easily and demand for federal funds is always high. But with changes implemented, the overall health of communities should improve substantially.

(4) how racism imposes an additional health burden on people of color; and

People of color are continuously discriminated based on color from a very young age. When there is an instance of discrimination, it results in stress - a continuous chronic stress takes a toll on their health because they face it at every instance in life.

(5) what is “everyday” racism vs. “structural” racism and how does this impact health.

Basing someone's opinions on an individual based on their personal beliefs is common. But acting on it and discriminating on an individual level happens daily - This is everyday racism.

Structural racism is the inequalities in policies and practices that result in some groups of people being excluded in participation.

Also, watch the following (3) short videos and describe the commonalities between these videos and Unnatural Causes.

1. If you want to talk health, you have to talk income & wealth - youtube

It is a video by Prevention Institute that focusses on supporting farmers and farming communities in Kentucky by enabling them to earn more out of their farming practices. This ensures that they are able to have better socioeconomic conditions and better overall health.

2. If you want to talk health, you have to talk about social connection. - youtube

It is a video by Prevention Institute that focusses on young people in the community who require assistance in suicide-related and substance misuse related issues. The video focusses on The United Women of East Africa Support Team (UWEAST) and their initiatives to offer a safe place for social connections and activities among members if the community

3. If you want to talk health, you have to talk about housing - youtube

It is a video by Prevention Institute that focusses on healthy and affordable housing for communities to have better living conditions. It is about the initiatives taken by PUSH Buffalo, New York.

Commonalities between these videos and Unnatural Causes.

The commonalities between these videos and unnatural causes are,

1. It stresses the need for better socio-economic conditions for people in the communities
2. It addresses the race-related concerns and how it affects the health of people of color
3. It talks about the need for better facilities in terms of education, housing, and employment.
4. It addresses the need for a collective effort from people in the community, local law enforcement, supporting agencies and the federal government to take initiatives for the betterment of people in their community
5. It brings attentuon to the fact that discrimination over a course of time, does indeed wreak havoc on health
6. Both the video sets stress the need for better frameworks and standards to ensure that health, which is of paramount importance is taken care of.