Question

Is it possible to eliminate health disparities in the United States? Why or why not? What are some of the key strategies advocated by the readings? Do you notice any similar themes in the assigned articles?

Please give a reference, thanks

Answer 1

The issue of disparities in health is serious—it is a matter of life and death. Disparities in health among different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups in the United States are real and represent a serious threat to our future as a nation. It is time for leaders and communities to take a public health approach to eliminating disparities in health.

Other determinants of health are environment, biology and genetics, and human behavior. We must take a public health approach to target all of these determinants. Not only is it the only approach that is comprehensive and science based enough to succeed in reducing and ultimately eliminating disparities, but it focuses on health promotion and disease prevention, which are not only more cost effective but also more humane.

The public health approach involves defining and measuring the problem, determining the cause or risk factors for the problem, determining how to prevent or ameliorate the problem, and implementing effective strategies on a larger scale and evaluating the impact. In order to eliminate disparities in health, the public health approach must take place in the context of a balanced community health system, which includes health promotion, disease prevention, and early detection, moving towards universal access to health care.

Measuring the magnitude and distribution of a problem in different populations, generally through surveillance or screening, not only defines the problem but also helps to define the success or failure of the intervention. Analyzing surveillance data and distributions determine associations or risk factors for the identified problem. Surveillance may include laboratory research to identify a virus or bacteria causing a problem or community-based research to evaluate the role of environment or behavior.

We must next determine what works to prevent or ameliorate the problem. If dealing with an infectious disease, the search for a vaccine may be critical. Many examples of success exist—one of the most dramatic was the development of the polio vaccine in the early 1950s. However, other problems such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes require more complex solutions based on behavioral and environmental interventions. Once we have determined what works to prevent or ameliorate a problem, we then have the burden of implementing solutions on a larger scale and evaluating and replicating their impacts.