When it comes to health outcomes, all Americans are not equal. Numerous studies have found that black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) patients receive less and worse medical care than their white counterparts. In this post, we explore why these inequities exist, their impact on people of color, and what we can do to move toward greater equality in the future.
Historically, the health of black people has never been the same as that of whites. African-American men have been noted to have the worst health outcomes of all major demographic groups. What is the cause of these inequities? The social determinants of health (SDH), i.e., the non-medical factors which influence a person's health, are likely to blame. According to the World Health Organization, SDH include “the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life.”
Social determinants of health include economic stability (the ability to pay for healthy foods, decent housing, healthcare etc., the lack of which can adversely impact health), access to good quality education, the neighborhoods and environments people live in (violence-inflicted neighborhoods or those with unsafe water or polluted air can pose health risks), access to quality health care, and social and community context (the support and relationships the individuals share with those around them).
Disparities across the domains of SDH increase the risk for many health conditions including obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and even early death. Unfortunately, research also shows that the care provided by health practitioners can be impacted by a person’s racial background. Black individuals have been shown to receive inferior care compared to their white counterparts. Such practices foster mistrust of the medical system and promote its avoidance by BIPOC patients. Black patients are more likely to trust and follow the recommendations of their doctor if they are also black.
So, what can we do to move towards health equity? The WHO defines health equity as “the absence of unfair and avoidable or remediable differences in health among population groups defined socially, economically, demographically or geographically”. The most important step is to raise awareness about the existence of these disparities. The target audience includes the general public, the key stakeholders who make health policy decisions, and the medical practitioners. Providing affordable health insurance plans should be a priority. Building trust and better communication with patients, regardless of their racial or ethnic background, is key to ensure that the patients follow the health advice. The education and hiring of non-white medical professionals should be encouraged. These critical steps will help us move toward reducing the health inequities in our society.
-Isha Kapoor
Isha is a senior at Mayo High School in Rochester, MN.
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