Research Paper on Intersectionality: Examining Multivariate Power Factors for Equal Health Outcomes

Introduction

The recent times have increasingly viewed the concept of intersectionality as a critical approach in the examination of multivariate power factors that promote equal health outcomes. Intersectionality developed from various theories such as indigenous feminists, black feminist, and third-world feminist, among others. The concept is more than an analysis of pertinent factors such as sex, gender, race, biology, and socioeconomic status. It also encompasses the correlation and interaction between these factors to establish health outcomes across population groups and geographical settings. The article review provides a literature review of sources on the examination of the intersection of race, class, and gender in health outcomes.

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Literature Review

Bauer (2014) examines the integration of intersectionality theory within the population health seeking to problems and possibilities in the advancement of health equity. The author expounds that intersectionality theory was formulated to examine the non-additivity of implications of gender and race in addition to other aspects of analyzing health and disease. It enables the evaluation of the various intersections, processes of oppression or privilege, social position, and practices. The development of measures to help understand issues that face intersectionality and the author examines these problems. It aids in understanding that intersectionality can enhance the validity and importance of population health research. The result is a better understanding of the concept of intersectionality and therefore improved sights for better policies and, ultimately, quality health outcomes.

Griffith et al. (2013) research intersectional strategy to social factors of the stress of African American males. The study is established on the aspects of both male and female gender. It is postulated that stress is a critical issue in gaining insights into the racial and gender disparities in health. The authors utilized an intersectional strategy to analyze the stresses that affect African American males. The participants involved African American males their female counterparts. It was established that the fundamental sources of stress emanating from focusing on the fulfillment of gender roles and their position in a racially stratified society. The authors' central theme was the everyday life of the African American male trying to deal with various stressors, whether at work or home, in conforming to roles which are traditionally theirs. However, men never highlighted health as a contributor of stress, but women mentioned that men were stressed by aging. It, therefore, meant that there were an intersection of race, economic, and social stressors. It means that the stresses endured by African American males where due to the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, marital status, and age, among others. The article indicates that insights on the sources of stresses encountered by African American male is critical to knowing and dealing with their poor health. It means the development of approaches to ameliorate health outcomes of this group should understand the role of chronic life as barriers to positive health outcomes.

Viruell-Funetes et al. (2012) conduct a review of how the interaction of the different factors affecting immigrants has implications on their health outcomes. It is explained that the concept of acculturation has been majorly used in understanding culture in the immigrant's health outcomes. However, the over-dependence on cultural explanations disregards the implication of structural factors on the health inequalities reported among the immigrants. The authors expound on the limitations of culture-based models and recommend a paradigm shift to frameworks that examine the implications of the intersectionality of multiple dimensions of inequality and their influence on health outcomes. The intersectionality of race and immigration shows a shift from cultural explanations and the inclusion of structural factors. It calls for the understanding of unequal power balances emerging from social divisions such as race, gender, and class. It, therefore, means that emphasis on the structural factors impacting immigrants is critical in the development of interventions that enhance the successful, healthy incorporation of immigrants in the health care system of the country.

Hankivsky & Christoffersen (2008) considers the topic of intersectionality and the impetus of health. In Canada, for example, the leadership in the population health field has recorded some positive outcomes in the minimization of health inequalities. Despite the success, there are still significant gaps that seek to understand the root causes of inequalities and their implications on health outcomes. The authors explore the application of an innovative framework of intersectionality for improved understanding of the causes of ailments and diseases. It is important to understand that the concept of intersectionality has well received in the US and the UK, resulting in the analysis in its potential in health determinant context. The concept of intersectionality seeks to explain and interpret various intersecting factors of oppression and privilege. It seeks to understand the result of the intersection of different axes of oppression, such as race, class, and gender. It accepts the complexities critical in understanding social inequalities, which translate into health inequalities. It, therefore, means that this paradigm can develop accurate and inclusive knowledge of human health, resulting in the formation of systems and policies that improve health outcomes.

Veenstra (2011) studies the intersection axes of race, gender, class, and health outcomes citing the case of Canada. The results of the study indicated that poor health outcomes for participants who identified as bisexual, low class, Asian, Aboriginal, or South Asian. It was an indication of the intersection of race, gender, class, and sexual preferences on the health outcomes in which individuals from these social structures recorded poor health.

Critique

The concept of intersectionality and the implication of health outcomes have recently gained popularity in seeking to reduce health inequalities in the population. It involves multifaceted factors of social structures, which include race, class, and gender, and the implication of these intersecting axes in health outcomes. The researchers in the five sources discussed a critical topic, as health systems seek to enhance the health outcomes of the population. The concept of intersectionality can help health care leadership to develop policies and procedures that can be implemented as interventions for improving health outcomes across the population irrespective of their race, class, and gender. All the sources focused on the intersection of these social factors and the implication for the health of groups in society. They underscore the importance of intersectionality as opposed to using an individual aspect focused paradigm since there are elements that arise at intersections of various factors, which are critical determinants of health outcomes.

The literature review observed significant results that would be influential in improving the population's health outcomes underscoring the fundamental contribution of the intersectionality concept. Some of these articles used qualitative research as their study methodology, while others used a literature review. Despite significant sights of the literature, some limitations were noted. For instance, the article by Baurer (2014) lacks a comprehensive study design indicating how the research was conducting undermining the quality of the results. The article by Hankivsky & and Christoffersen (2008), and that by Viruell-Fuentes et al. (2012) involved a review of the existing studies on the topic but lacked a detailed design procedure. They also lacked inclusion-exclusion criteria resulting in ambiguity in understanding why the researcher included the specific literature. Despite this, they provide keywords that are important to anyone who wants to replicate the study. The articles by Veenstra (2011) and Griffith et al. (2013) involved a qualitative study with significant sample size. It, therefore, means that the findings could be generalized to a larger population. For instance, Veenstra (2011) utilized a Canadian Community Health Survey involving 90,310 sample size (n).

The articles focused on a critical concept in the area of public health as there is a need for improvement of provision of services to everyone irrespective of their gender, class or race, and thereby enhancing the health outcome of the public. The three articles that involved a literature review did adequately explain the concept of intersectionality and health outcomes. However, the results did not involve an expansive research design, which means it a conclusion is not generalizable to a larger population, such as the whole country. The literature review provided critical insights into key issues concerning intersectionality and health outcomes. However, there some limitations and, therefore, the need for more research. First, the article by Baurer (2014) only involved mid-life and older American Male, which means the outcomes of the study cannot be generalized to other men and women groups. It is, however, important to note the article by Veenstra (2011) was a national-wide study, which means the result could be used as a representation of the larger population. The article captured the more prevalent themes, such as race, gender, and class. However, other themes, such as disability, religion, geographic location, and family status, are not studied. It, therefore, means that further research is required to involve these themes to ensure the results are more comprehensive.

References

Bauer, G. R. (2014). Incorporating intersectionality theory into population health research methodology: Challenges and the potential to advance health equity. Social Science & Medicine, 110, 10-17. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.03.022

Griffith, D. M., Ellis, K. R., & Allen, J. O. (2013). An Intersectional Approach to Social Determinants of Stress for African American Men. American Journal of Men's Health, 7(4_suppl), 19S-30S. doi: 10.1177/1557988313480227

Hankivsky, O., & Christoffersen, A. (2008). Intersectionality and the determinants of health: a Canadian perspective. Critical Public Health, 18(3), 271-283. doi: 10.1080/09581590802294296

Veenstra, G. (2011). Race, gender, class, and sexual orientation: intersecting axes of inequality and self-rated health in Canada. International Journal for Equity in Health, 10(1), 3. doi: 10.1186/1475-9276-10-3

Viruell-Fuentes, E. A., Miranda, P. Y., & Abdulrahim, S. (2012). More than culture: Structural racism, intersectionality theory, and immigrant health. Social Science & Medicine, 75(12), 2099-2106. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.12.037