Running Head: Health Disparities in the United States 1

Analysis of Health and Health Disparities in the United States

Arturo Garcia

Dr. Moore-Monroy

TA: Gloria Villa-Barbosa

Preceptor: Juan Contreras

HPS 387 Section 001

University of Arizona

February 12, 2020

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Section 1: Reflection

While the United States is known to have the highest national health expenditures

compared to other well-developed countries, its inconsistency to succeed at a national level is

very shocking. Even though the United States spends over 17% of its annual GDP on health

care, the country is experiencing very high levels of infant mortality rates and low female and

male life expectancies (Barr, 2019). So, what is causing this to happen? A thorough analysis of

the current health policies and the health care system can reveal a great variety of health

disparities within the US population that give way to many health issues. The socioeconomic

status of an individual as well as the determinants of physical and social health are strongly

linked to health disparities, all playing an important role in the access to proper nutrition,

transportation, and proper health care. Some of these determinants, however, are often

ignored by the World Health Organization, who defined health as “a state of complete physical,

mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (Barr, 2019).

This subtle definition overlooks people with a disability that are still able to live a healthy life.

Health disparities are composed of the physical and social determinants of health

around them. “The social determinants of health are conditions in the environments in which

people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect health and quality of life”

(Moore-Monroy, 2020). Culture, politics, race and ethnicity, quality education, gender, religion,

access to resources, and transportation are all part of the social determinants of health (Parker,

2014). On the other hand, physical factors can be divided into two categories: the natural

environment and built environment. The natural environment consists of physical environment,

weather, water quality, air quality, pollutants, natural disasters, and exposure to infectious
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disease agents. Built environment typically refers to infrastructure such as work, schools,

quality housing, etc. that is intended to improve the quality of service or daily needs. A

combination of these two determinants are used to generate health disparities. Contrary to

popular belief, the United States is suffering from many “food deserts”, which mean that they

lack the sufficient nutritious food to support a community. A food desert (mostly junk food

available) in a low-income community with limited access to other physical resources such as

transportation can increase the likelihood of developing diabetes and many heart-related

conditions. Their inability to access such resources and proper nutrition can be compared to

public health issues being faced by many underdeveloped countries.

The level of health status that an individual can achieve is strongly connected with their

socioeconomic status. The socioeconomic status, or SES, can be described as “an aggregate

measure that includes both resource-based and prestige-based measures… [that] refer to an

individual's rank or status in a social hierarchy” (Barr, 42, 2019). An individual’s socioeconomic

status is associated with many different health aspects. Perhaps one of the most important is

income. Generally, a person with low levels of income will have a low health status as opposed

to those with high levels of income. This can be easily explained because income can also be

associated with the quality of education, housing, and nutrition that a person receives. The US

Census Bureau reported that in 2017, an individual that graduated with a Professional Degree

earned as much as three times more than a high school graduate. The total income can affect

the way that a person is able to feed themselves (proper nutrition generally tends to be more

expensive), where they can afford to live, and the type of health care that they can obtain.
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With socioeconomic status, health inequality and inequity play an important role in

people’s health. Health inequities are “differences in health status or in the distribution of

health resources between different population groups, arising from the social conditions in

which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.” Health inequalities are categorized as

“differences in health status or in the distribution of health determinants between different

population groups” (World Health Organization, 2017). Unfortunately, there is only so much

that people can do since gender, age, or race cannot be controlled. This was the case with

Henrietta Lacks, who as a young black woman, suffered from very low socioeconomic status,

which caused her to live a very unaccommodating early years of her life (Skloot, 2011).

Government policies are the best chance at resolving these kinds of issues in an appropriate

manner. Based on community needs, low-income areas could benefit from better education,

nutrition, and access daily resources. This is a perfect example of Healthy People 2030’s goals,

which aims for a country with equality and equity regardless of disabilities, race, SES, and

culture.

Section 2: Public Health Recommendation

Health diseases are most prevalent in communities with low socioeconomic status.

Limited access to health care and other basic resources put these communities at a great

disadvantage. As prices for examinations and other resources rise exponentially, people are

unable to seek treatment and/or prevent any major complications from happening. It is

estimated that about half of the annual deaths caused by the five leading causes in the US are

preventable, but there just weren’t enough resources or the individual’s socioeconomic status

restricted them from reaching them (CDC, 2014).

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Luckily, various strategies could be taken to avoid the likelihood of developing heart

diseases. Healthy People 2020 recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity

or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week to reduce the risk of lethal diseases and

complications (Healthy People, 2020). Taking the time and initiative to adopt a productive

lifestyle such as switching to walking or using bicycles as a means of transportation can have a

major impact in the overall health of the community. There are many inexpensive ways in

which bicycle access can be done. Bike stations, community marathons, walk-a-thon, and other

types of events and programs would indicate major improvements towards fighting heart

diseases.

As many of us know, fast food restaurants are all around the corners. The problem with

these popular chains is that they are mostly located in low-income communities and cities.

Since these fast food restaurants are inexpensive and on-the-go, people see it as an option

when they can’t afford to buy anything else. To prevent this, food banks in Tucson and Pima

County that provide people with nutritious foods at very low costs could decrease the risk of

heart disease and obesity rates. On a more macro level, the socioeconomic status of an

individual relates to their ability to access many services and healthy habits. Making education

more accessible for the general population can improve their ability to obtain a higher status

ranking, allowing them to afford many resources that they wouldn’t be able to obtain with

minimal education (education = SES). Last but not least, health disparities, on a micro-level,

prevents individuals from obtaining good health and a sense of health security. By avoiding

housing in poor environments that affect respiratory airways and violent-communities, health

disparities can be minimized and sometimes avoided.

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REFERENCES

10 facts on health inequities and their causes. World Health Organization.

https://www.who.int/features/factfiles/health_inequities/en/. Published April 21, 2017.

Accessed February 10, 2020

Barr, D. A. (2019). Health disparities in the United States: social class, race, ethnicity, and the

social determinants of health (3rd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press

Moore-Monroy, M. (2020a, January). [Presentation]. Physical and Social Determinants of Health

Parker SH. The Practice and Process of Health Education in Health Promotion. Dubuque, IA:

Kendall Hunt; 201

Physical Activity. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/physical-activity/objectives

Skloot, R., & Moss, S. (2019). The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. London: Picador.

Up to 40 percent of annual deaths from each of five leading US causes are preventable. (2014,

May 1). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0501-preventable-

deaths.html
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