Essay On Health Disparities

From a global health perspective, health disparities matter! Health disparities are those differences in health outcomes that exist between people, communities, or countries. There are significant differences in health outcomes between racial and ethnic groups in the United States and further, the health outcomes between groups in the Unites States and other countries. There is inequity and inequality in health care. Jones (2010) challenges us to look at health disparities from an ethical or moral perspective, a perspective that needs to be addressed and eliminated. “The health disparities that exist in the United States are morally problematic because they exemplify and aid in perpetuating a centuries-old system of injustices based on race/ethnicity and class”(Jones, 2010, p. S47). Exploring the ethical principles around disparities leads to the same conclusion, we as a society have a responsibility to address the disparities from not just a financial perspective but from en ethical perspective. The goal of Healthy People 2020 is to move beyond reducing health disparities to achieving health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups (Healthy People, 2020)
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Determinants can have a positive or negative influence on health. Positive factors are health determinants that protect a person from illness or support improvements of an individual’s overall health while risk factors contribute to the potential for illness to occur or to decrease health (Garcia, Schaffer, & Schoon, 2014). The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. “The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities - the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries (Garcia, Schaffer & Schoon, 2014, p. 21; WHO,