Tinio, Hanna Trexie V.

IV- BA (Sociology-Psychology)
Race as a critical factor in health outcomes
In the readings, it was stated in the theory of fundamental causes that health status and economic
status are intertwined with each other. In my understanding of the theory, it says that those that belong
to the advantaged groups which have the capacity and access to resources, such as money and knowledge
of things, can ensure better health outcomes when they become sick. This is possible for them because
they can afford to have a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet. Aside from that, they can also afford paying
for a gym class for exercises and most importantly, they can easily go to the nearest hospitals whenever
they feel that something is wrong with their bodies and get the best healthcare service.
In the past discussions, most especially in our Sociology 149 class, it was then that I realized that
one’s race could really have a big impact in one’s life. In America, racial discrimination has been a long
fight for the blacks and the indigenous people. In the case of black Americans, remembering the movie
Hidden Figures, they have been deprived with a lot of things. One concrete example that I can think of in
reference to the movie is when Katherine, one of the main characters in the film, was deprived of using
the comfort room in her building because she is black. In my experience as an individual who recently had
a check-up because of my lower back aches, the doctor explained that one of the reasons as to why a
person gets Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is because of the problems emptying the bladder completely.
Because of this, Katherine could have suffered a severe UTI if not for her superior who stepped up and let
her use the comfort room in the building she is working.
Another example that I can think of is from the movie Roots. It was manifested in that movie that
blacks were treated as slaves especially in South America. And because they are most discriminated group
in the past, some of them cannot even have a decent work and were just plain slaves for the white with
little to no pay. They also do not have the means to provide for themselves and for their families especially
when one member of the family gets sick. They cannot afford a doctor and most importantly, they cannot
provide to buy the prescription medicines.
Today, I can still see that race is a big factor in one’s health outcome especially when we talk about
the indigenous people here in our country. Because of the fact that most of them are not registered at
birth, do not have legal status and proper sources of income, it could hinder them to access basic public
services, such as health and education. Furthermore, because of this lack of education and access to
health services, they are vulnerable both for communicable and non-communicable diseases. And lastly,
women who belong to these indigenous groups are also at risk of high infant and maternal mortality
because of the lack of maternal care during and after their pregnancy that could lead affect their and their
baby’s life.