Question

This week as we explore cultural diversity it is important to realize the impact culture plays in health promotion. It is essential that we become culturally competent to ensure we provide the best possible care and services to all of the patients we serve regardless of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Culture is embedded in one’s worldview and perception about health yet we often overlook how culture plays a role in an individual’s health outcomes. In this week’s discussion, you will choose a vulnerable population (based on a cultural group, race, ethnicity, gender, etc), find a journal article (less than five years old) that pertains to the chosen cultural group, and answer the following questions:

1. From the vulnerable population, you selected, please describe in paragraph form including how their belief systems and view of health are impacted. Be sure to include a minimum of one socioeconomic factor and one regional and ethnic factor that should be considered when evaluating the health promotion needs of this population.
2. Define health disparity in your own words and describe one health disparity that affects or can affect the culture you have selected?
3. From the health disparities, you identified in prompt two, which of these would be of the highest priority to screen for in your assessment of this individual?

Answer 1

a)

Our health is largely determined by the social, economic, cultural, and physical environments we live in — everything from where we work and live to our level of education and our access to healthy food and water.

The socioeconomic factors that determine health include: employment, education, and income. Socioeconomic refers to society related economic factors. These factors relate to and influence one another. For example, your employment will dictate your income.

The social classes are the most pervasive and powerful in their influence. However, ethnic subgroups (defined in terms of religion, race, or nationality background) are also effective, more so at the lower-working-class level than at the upper-middle-class level..

There is evidence that socioeconomic status (SES) affects individual's health outcomes and the health care they receive. People of lower SES are more likely to have worse self-reported health, lower life expectancyand suffer from more chronic conditionswhen compared with those of higher SES.

b)

.Health disparities are defined as “preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations”.

Health disparities are intrinsically related to the “historical and current unequal distribution of social, political, economic and environmental resources"

A 'health disparity' refers to a higher burden of illness, injury, disability, or mortality experienced by one group relative to another. A 'health care disparity' typically refers to differences between groups in health insurance coverage, access to and use of care, and quality of care.

. If a health outcome is seen to a greater or lesser extent between populations, there is disparity. Race or ethnicity, sex, sexual identity, age, disability, socioeconomic status, and geographic location all contribute to an individual’s ability to achieve good health. It is important to recognize the impact that social determinants have on health outcomes of specific populations. Healthy People strives to improve the health of all groups.

Multiple socioeconomic factors contribute to health disparities, including income, education, residential segregation, stress, social and physical environment, employment, and many others. Disparities according to income and education have increased for smoking, with low-income persons smoking at higher rates.