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Health Inequities

The high level of economic inequality not only prevents the population from growth, progress, and development, but it triggers poverty. The representatives of minorities die at a young age, and, according to the recent statistics, they are sicker and more vulnerable than their white counterparts due to diseases. The current paper seeks to examine the social economic status and race as main predisposing factors that trigger inequity, the interconnection between the status and race, the amplification of disparities, and determine the groups that suffer from injustice the most. The information presented here is based on a discussion board post help and the data analysis which was carried out.

Socioeconomic status reflects the combination of such aspects as job, income, and education. It represents the social background of a person or a group of people taking into account privileges and power they are granted. While examining the socioeconomic status, one may experience unequal access and distribution of vital resources in the contexts of education, research, and healthcare delivery.

Status, gender, and race provoke health, socioeconomic, and racial disparities in the medical facilities across the United States. The way racial discrimination and socioeconomic class produces ethnic inequalities remains a considerable challenge of the day. The effect of social class on the public health requires in-depth assessment accompanied by examining the aspects of class power and health inequality. The shift in funding and other issues have forced healthcare providers to examine the population health and significant disparities from the perspective of the socioeconomic status.

African Americans have suffered from racism, inequality, bias, and prejudice since the period of enslavement. The issues of race and racial discrimination are intertwined, and they have the complex history of their relationship. In the civil war, after the defeat of Southerners, the supporters of slavery, non-slaveholders promoted the racist ideology based on the division of workers. It also helped them to weaken the position of their fierce opponents.

After the civil war, African Americans were denied using the land for private purposes, and they became an integral part of a working class. Racial discrimination drove the minorities into low non-managerial positions. This aspect clearly explains the emergence of differences in health status due to the socioeconomic class.

Racism limits social and economic achievements of African Americans and prevents them from enjoying benefits and rights granted to their white counterparts. Socioeconomic status determined by race not only causes health disparities but also reflects the way racial discrimination affects human well-being. Moreover, the ongoing discriminatory policy suggests the inferiority of certain racial groups. Unfortunately, not all people are able to cope with inequality. The competent authorities do not demonstrate their readiness to eliminate the issue of injustice while providing healthcare services to the vulnerable and low-income population.

The class relationship of the minorities is highly racialized nowadays, and no adequate resolutions are made to eliminate this pressing issue. The formation of social and racial classes is interrelated with each other. From the ideological, economical, and political perspectives, the capitalist system dominates the world in the 21st century. Thus, inequalities produced by the institution of slavery in the distant past find their reflection in the modern relations, and these disparities are maintained because of the racial discrimination. Therefore, in order to understand the current health status of African Americans, it is important to consider the class as well as racial and social stratification.

Unlike Caucasians and Asian Americans, African Americans and Hispanics attend schools for poor individuals. For example, ten years ago, the representatives of the Hispanic community were expelled from schools more often in comparison to other racial minorities. Talented, gifted, and successful African-American and Hispanic learners can be provided with less rigorous curriculums, and tutors may expect less from them in regard to the academic performance. The socioeconomic reality deprives schoolchildren and students of valuable resources simply due to their family’s status and race.

Disabilities, injuries, and diseases characterize the current health condition of Hispanics as one of the largest ethnic populations in the United States of America. The leading cause of death among this racial minority significantly varies from the one of their white counterparts. Immigrants, who have recently come to North America, are also at a high risk of contracting infections and developing chronic diseases and injuries. People mostly suffering from serious ailments are usually those, who are neither fluent in English nor familiar with the American healthcare system. Hispanics and African-Americans also have different attitudes towards conventional and alternative medicine.

For racial minorities living in the United States of America, health disparities can significantly lower their opportunities to live a decent life and increase its quality. The modern society also suffers from injustice as inequality decreases productivity, increases costs on healthcare services, and promotes the social inequity within the vulnerable communities. By 2050, over one hundred million Hispanics will reside in the USA constituting nearly 25% of the entire population. If Hispanics and African Americans continue to experience poor health status, demographic changes will be irreversible; they will also produce the negative socioeconomic impact on the American nation.

To summarize, the role of social factors that directly affect health and services provided is significant. Health disparities diminish the civic engagement and social cohesion, as well as inhibit the functioning of social institutions that provide vital services to the communities. The fundamental goal set by the federal agencies is to eliminate the racial inequality, and health disparities sufferings of a large part of the population.

 

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