Social Determinants of Health Blog #1

The demographic that I chose to write about was the African American demographic. In America, African-Americans face a thought of systematic discrimination, from income-inequality to food-inequality, etc. Most notably, they face healthcare inequality. They receive less good healthcare compared to their white counterparts. Many African Americans feel they are unlistened to compared to their white counterparts. They feel as if their voices are diminished when they are trying to voice concerns about their symptoms (they feel as if they are belittled). One study found that even though when insurance status, income, and severity of conditions are comparable to white people, African Americans still receive lower-quality health care. Many healthcare providers have implicit bias, views about African Americans in which they are not consciously aware. This leads to African Americans being discharged faster from hospital. I need to do more research on this implicit bias, to back up the point that it exists, and find more reasons for African American health disparities.

Above is pictured a doctor, holding up a piece of cardboard saying how systematic racism in healthcare exists in the U.S.