Minority Health and Health Equity Archive
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Item Beginning a discussion of nutrition and health disparities(2011) Lancaster, K. J.; Bermudez, O. I.In 2005, the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) created a Minority Affairs Committee (MAC). The goal of the committee is to enhance the participation of scientists from minority groups in the activities of the ASN. Because of the marked disparities in health conditions between white Americans and ethnic minority groups, the MAC also aims to promote scholarly interaction in the area of nutrition in health disparities. To that end, in 2010, the MAC held its first symposium at Experimental Biology. The goal of the symposium was to begin a discussion within the ASN of the role of nutrition in disparities...Item The Public Health Approach to Eliminating Disparities in Health(2008) Satcher, David; Higginbotham, Eve J.Reducing and eliminating disparities in health is a matter of life and death. Each year in the United States, thousands of individuals die unnecessarily from easily preventable diseases and conditions. It is critical that we approach this problem from a broad public health perspective, attacking all of the determinants of health: access to care, behavior, social and physical environments, and overriding policies of universal access to care, physical education in schools, and restricted exposure to toxic substances. We describe the historical background for recognizing and addressing disparities in health, various factors that contribute to disparities, how the public health approach addresses such challenges, and two successful programs that apply the public health approach to reducing disparities in health. Public health leaders must advocate for public health solutions to eliminate disparities in health.Item Culturally Interpreting Environment as Determinant and Experience of Health(2003) Bent, KNIn minority communities, experiences of the environment and health disparities are frequently related. An important component of nursing practice in communities is to address these issues in cultural context to improve overall community health experiences. This present ethnographic study was conducted in an urban barrio community in which residents have responded to health threats posed by local environmental hazards with sustained community-focused health and development strategies. Data generation occurred during field visits in the community and included interviews, participant observation, field notes, participant-drawn maps, examination of artifacts and existing documents, and photography. Two dimensions define the community experience of the environment in this community:contamination and unhealthy community. The environment is a complex and multidimensional concept of central importance to community experiences. Environmental health cannot be addressed without first understanding that experience in cultural context.Item Communities And Health Policy: A Pathway For Change(2005) Bell, Judith; Standish, MarionImproving the health system can reduce the effects of health disparities, but it can do little to eliminate them. An upsurge in new research is documenting the impact of physical, social, and economic environmental factors: air quality, housing conditions, racism, relationship to community institutions, and neighborhood economic conditions, all of which affect health status over time. A combined focus on community and the policies that affect communities’ environments presents opportunities for altering and ameliorating the underlying forces at the heart of the determinants of health. This Perspective presents examples of successful community involvement and policy change.