Essay Sample on Determinants of Health

Introduction

Determinants of health influence the health of a particular group of people. Noonan, Velasco-Mondragon, & Wagner (2016), identified race as one of the variables of health inequalities among different communities. As a result, African Americans with cardiovascular diseases are negatively impacted by health disparities.

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The World Health Organization has outlined the social environment and the physical environment as some of the determinants of health that impact a particular group which in this case, is the African Americans with cardiovascular disease (WHO, 2019). The social environment negatively affects African Americans through factors such as isolation and community fragmentation. African Americans may experience racism which isolates them and creates stress hence encouraging the development of cardiovascular disease. A support system is vital to patients suffering from cardiovascular disease for their emotional and financial wellbeing. On the other hand, the physical environment may affect African Americans by providing or denying the community with a safe environment for physical activity and proper nutrition. Both of these factors are important for overcoming obesity and chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. An oodexcellent physical environment such as parks and playing fields ensures the community engages in physical activity that works to address the cardiovascular disease. Poor social and physical environment contribute to the global burden of disease by increasing the cost of healthcare.

The United States ranks 27th in the world for its level of healthcare (Bendix, 2018). That is below the ranking of other developed countries such as Finland, Netherlands, and Denmark. The poor ranking is mostly attributed to the low public investment in healthcare. There are also some other serious health concerns that affect a section of the American population. Diabetes is among those health concerns that affect the African American population. The sad part is that a third of the people suffering from the condition are not aware of it. As a result, there is a need to develop an intervention system that specifically targets the healthcare system. Health institutions need to be given the liberty to test for diabetes as a standard procedure when attending to the African American population. A similar framework should be adopted by nutritionists who work with the African American population to address the diet needs of the section of the community.

References

Bendix, A. (2018, September 27). The US was once a leader for healthcare and education - now it ranks 27th in the world. Retrieved from Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/us-ranks-27th-for-healthcare-and-education-2018-9?IR=T

Noonan, A., Velasco-Mondragon, H. E., & Wagner, F. (2016, October 3). Improving the health of African Americans in the USA: an overdue opportunity for social justice. Public Health Reviews, 37, 1-20. doi:10.1186/s40985-016-0025-4

WHO. (2019). Health Impact Assessment (HIA). Retrieved from World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/hia/evidence/doh/en/