Inequality in health based on race: Insights from Medical News Today's specialists
In this hard-hitting Special Feature, we take a deep dive into the pervasive issue of health inequities that primarily affect people of color in the United States. Our experts unveil the harsh reality that has been brought to the forefront by recent events like COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter protests.
They shed light on how health inequities are neither genetically predetermined nor a simple matter of personal choices – contrarily, they are grounded in historical and systemic factors such as institutionalized racism, socioeconomic status, education, and employment opportunities. Let's explore some eye-opening insights they shared.
Dragging Down the Pockets
Dr. Angela Bell, a double-board certified internist and sports medicine specialist, explains that lower education levels and incomes lead to poorer health outcomes due to minimal access to quality care and nutritious food. Consequently, people trapped in these situations end up putting a strain on the healthcare system's finances that ultimately affects everyone, even those who are economically privileged.
Debra Rose Wilson, RN, Ph.D., associate professor in the Nursing School at Tennessee State University, corroborates this, stating that implementing initiatives focused on education, healthy food access, and family support can help alleviate the disparities and make healthcare more affordable for all.
Mistrust in Healthcare: Recipe for Disaster
Mounting evidence suggests that marginalized communities face inadequate and biased healthcare across a spectrum of treatments. Femi Aremu, PharmD, Medical Integrity Pharmacist at Healthline Media, points out that Black people are frequently suspected of fabricating pain and often receive less attention and fewer procedures in comparison to their white counterparts.
Dr. Valinda Riggins Nwadike echoes a similar sentiment and encourages healthcare professionals to listen and validate the concerns of minority patients, which would help rebuild trust in healthcare systems. Regrettably, the mistrust rooted in a long history of mistreatment fosters further distrust and ultimately contributes to the perpetuation of these health disparities.
Medical Experiments and Implicit Bias: The Forefathers of Mistrust
There's a deep-seated mistrust of medical institutions among African Americans due to the legacy of baseless, unethical medical experiments, such as the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study, and the enduring biases in healthcare. Dr. Angela Bell, a seasoned physician, implores medical professionals to acknowledge the history of racism and strive to nullify their implicit biases to build trust and ensure top-notch care for patients.
Medical Industry: A Reflection of the Dominant Culture
According to Femi Aremu, the medical industry is a reflection of the white dominant culture, failing to take the diversity of bodies into account. Institutions must prioritize research and understanding diverse populations to create a more equitable healthcare system.
Reproductive Health: The Untold Side of the Story
The disparities in reproductive health are dishearteningly severe among racial and ethnic minorities. Black women, for example, are three to four times more likely to die during childbirth in the United States. Physicians, as Dr. Amanda Kallen, a reproductive endocrinologist, highlights, have an essential role in dismantling systemic bias in medicine, improving pregnancy outcomes for women of color, and eradicating the myths and stigmas associated with fertility issues in diverse communities.
Equal Opportunities for Battling Cancer: Left Behind
It's a sad fact that women of color receive less reconstructive surgery post-mastectomy, even though the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act mandates most health insurance plans to cover breast reconstruction following mastectomies. Dr. Catherine Hannan, a breast reconstruction expert, calls for addressing systemic racism in healthcare to guarantee equal access to treatments and outcomes for women of color.
In conclusion, the issue of health equity demands urgent attention and action from healthcare providers, policymakers, and the society at large. We must challenge the systemic barriers and biases that hinder equitable access to healthcare and strive towards an inclusive, fair system that prioritizes the well-being of all.
- Health equity is a pressing concern in the United States, particularly for people of color, as it's rooted in historical and systemic factors such as institutionalized racism, education, and employment opportunities.
- Dr. Angela Bell emphasizes that lower education levels and incomes can lead to poorer health outcomes, causing a financial strain on healthcare systems, affecting everyone, not just the economically underprivileged.
- Debra Rose Wilson suggests initiatives focused on education, healthy food access, and family support can help alleviate health disparities and make healthcare more affordable for all.
- Femi Aremu highlights that marginalized communities face inadequate and biased healthcare, leading to mistrust in healthcare systems, which further contributes to health disparities. Dr. Valinda Riggins Nwadike encourages healthcare professionals to validate the concerns of minority patients to rebuild trust.
- The medical industry, as a reflection of the white dominant culture, needs to prioritize research and understanding diverse populations to create a more equitable healthcare system, according to Femi Aremu. Additionally, systemic bias in medicine disproportionately affects reproductive health outcomes for women of color, and it's crucial for physicians to dismantle this bias and eradicate associated myths and stigmas.
