ABOR1040 | Health Services | The Health of African Americans

There have been a variety of shifts in the demography of the African American population in the United States, and these shifts need to be taken into account by organizations providing healthcare for different reasons. First shift is racial diversity in that in the current world whereby with the increased immigration in the US, the culture of its people has now become more diverse. Therefore this has led to the American society being more accepting of other races thus blacks now have better access to healthcare. Health organizations should consider this when opening up hospitals in that they should ensure African Americans can easily access quality health care in their neighborhoods (Black, Sanders, Taylor, & Taylor, 2015). Next, is cultural and religious differences. In this shift, the US is getting more accepting of other cultures and religious views with laws in place to protect everyone freedoms. Therefore hospitals consider these factor when employing doctors and training them to be respectful of different cultures. Finally is aging, wherein the current the aging population is growing. This is thanks to advancements in the health sector where people can get treated for various diseases thus mortality rates have been significantly reduced. Healthcare organizations should consider this since they can ensure that they open up more facilities which take care of the needs of this aging population properly (Shannon, et.al, 2017).

There exist disparities in the health of African Americans in the United States as compared to people of other ethnicities, and these differences occur as a result of several factors which affect health in this part of the population. Healthcare disparities refer to the difference in the level of health care such as health insurance coverage, quality of care and use of the available care, and health, for example, a higher level of injuries, illness, and disabilities between different groups. The first factor is the socioeconomic status of this part of the population which is a measure of an individuals economic, social and work status. Therefore, this factor affects health disparities in that when a person is successful, and of the high economic situation, they will have access to better healthcare and generally be in good health since they could afford to pay for better quality healthcare. On the other hand, being of lower social status, it is highly likely that it will hinder the individual and they will have lower quality health care and be of ill health (Chen, Vargas-Bustamante, Mortensen, & Ortega, 2016). Next, is genetics which is the study of genes, hereditary and genetic variations in living beings. This factor affects health disparity in that studies have shown that genetic factors have a part to play in the prevalence of illnesses and different patterns of mortality. It has been demonstrated that some races like African Americans are genetically predisposed to some conditions such as diabetes. Therefore, when they are genetically predisposed to a specific disease, it will mean that their level of health will be lower compared to other races (Braveman, et.al, 2015). Another factor is the age where older people are more at risk to suffer from various diseases since their immunity is compromised due to aging and thus most people who are of bad health belong to the older generation.

Next, is sexual orientation where studies have shown that people who identify with a sexual orientation which is different from the norm that is the LGBTQ society face difficulty while accessing healthcare since most facilities have not adopted practices which encompass their needs. Also, they are more likely to suffer from issues such as mental health and drug abuse. Therefore, this means that they are more likely to suffer from health inequalities. Another factor is gender where studies show that men in the African American community have a lower life expectancy because they are more likely to get diseases such as diabetes and hypertension and also suffer from higher rates of drug abuse, homicide, and unintentional injuries (Williams, & Wyatt, 2015). Therefore this means that men are more likely to have ill health as compared to women. Finally, is race some races have been marginalized from the past and have not had access to proper healthcare. Therefore, since in the past there was a line drawn regarding racial lines most African Americans do not have adequate access to health care and thus have the bad health to this day. Most insurances will not cover African Americans since they see them a risk and therefore worthwhile covering thus they cannot access quality healthcare (Williams, Priest, & Anderson, 2016).

Compared to other racial groups, African Americans are most affected by diabetes more specifically type 2 diabetes which is a result of a variety of factors. According to studies carried out on this, African Americans are 80% more likely at risk to suffer from diabetes and that they are more likely to suffer from complications related to diabetes like diabetic retinopathy as compared to other races. Another study found that in 2010, African Americans were 4.2 times more likely to have end-stage diabetes as compared to other races and finally that they are twice more likely to die from diabetes (Djoussé, et.al, 2016).

Some of the factors that can cause a disparity in the health status of African Americans include; their socioeconomic status. Statistics show that African Americans are 39% more likely to be poor therefore this means that they are less likely to access quality health care. Thus this means that their health status is low and they are more likely to have ill health (Sattin, et.al 2016) Next is cultural beliefs, where from the past where African Americans were oppressed, and therefore they learned how to survive. Therefore most African Americans are less likely to seek for help until it's too late in their diseases and not much can be done about it. Their environment also affects their health status disparity in that most African American neighborhoods have many fast food restaurants and liquors stores, therefore, they are more at risk to suffer from diseases such as diabetes and cancer (Mirowsky, 2017).

Finally, is barriers to access to health care in that most of the places where African Americans live lack access to proper healthcare facilities since they are located in areas with bad surroundings such as being in ganglands. The one major factor affecting disparity of health status in African Americans is socioeconomic status since with money, individuals can access good quality healthcare and also solve the other factors causing disparity. Some of the things that need to be studied so that strategies to combat disparity in health status can be formulated include; first, studying the social determinants of health disparities since when these are understood in combination with other factors these disparities can be solved. Another thing is that the effects these health disparities has on the population (Mirowsky, 2017). Once these effects are known the population can do more to resolve them so that they can forgo these effects.

In conclusion, the disparity in health status in different parts of the society exists as a result of a variety of factors which influence the intensity of this disparity. These factors encompass various parts of their lives. One part of the population in the United States that has been faced with the disparity in their health status is the African American community. This community has suffered a variety of factors which has affected them in various ways. It is an important subject thus more studies need to be carried out so that strategies can be formulated and this issue dealt with.

References

Black, D. A., Sanders, S. G., Taylor, E. J., & Taylor, L. J. (2015). The impact of the Great Migration on mortality of African Americans: Evidence from the Deep South. American Economic Review, 105(2), 477-503.

Braveman, P. A., Heck, K., Egerter, S., Marchi, K. S., Dominguez, T. P., Cubbin, C., ... & Curtis, M. (2015). The role of socioeconomic factors in black–white disparities in preterm birth. American journal of public health, 105(4), 694-702.

Chen, J., Vargas-Bustamante, A., Mortensen, K., & Ortega, A. N. (2016). Racial and ethnic disparities in health care access and utilization under the Affordable Care Act. Medical care, 54(2), 140.

Djoussé, L., Petrone, A. B., Hickson, D. A., Talegawkar, S. A., Dubbert, P. M., Taylor, H., & Tucker, K. L. (2016). Egg consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes among African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study. Clinical nutrition, 35(3), 679-684.

Mirowsky, J. (2017). Education, social status, and health. Routledge.

Rowe, J. W., Berkman, L. F., Fried, L. P., Fulmer, T. T., Jackson, J. S., Naylor, M. D., ... & Stone, R. (2017). Key Trends in Demography and Health Equity in the 21st Century. Vital Directions, 97.

Sattin, R. W., Williams, L. B., Dias, J., Garvin, J. T., Marion, L., Joshua, T. V., ... & Narayan, K. V. (2016). Community trial of a faith-based lifestyle intervention to prevent diabetes among African-Americans. Journal of community health, 41(1), 87-96.

Shannon, S. K., Uggen, C., Schnittker, J., Thompson, M., Wakefield, S., & Massoglia, M. (2017). The growth, scope, and spatial distribution of people with Felony records in the United States, 1948–2010. Demography, 54(5), 1795-1818.

Williams, D. R., & Wyatt, R. (2015). Racial bias in health care and health: challenges and opportunities. Jama, 314(6), 555-556.

Williams, D. R., Priest, N., & Anderson, N. B. (2016). Understanding associations among race, socioeconomic status, and health: Patterns and prospects. Health Psychology, 35(4), 407.