Case Study
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Case Study
Health pers 3
Introduction
Most people in the United States believe that our health is influenced by what we eat or how often we exercise or seek medical care. This may be true in large part, but there are many more aspects that can directly or indirectly influence our health in the modern world. This paper highlights some of these aspects by giving examples of two cases: the battle with diabetes among Native Indian communities in Arizona, and the connection between health wealth and zip codes, especially among minority communities.
Background information
In the early 1890s, the lives of the Pima, a Native American group that had settled in Arizona at the time, significantly changed. The main reason for this was the gradual decline in water levels from the Gila River, which was the primary water source for irrigation and sustenance for the Native American community (Booth et ., 2017). The shortage was caused by activities upstream as the water was being diverted by projects such as dams, mines, and white settlements. Efforts to provide water for the communities, such as the Coolidge dam, proved futile as most of the water was used up by large corporations and government projects.
As a result, the Pima found it hard to produce crops needed for their sustenance and development rendering them one of the most impoverished communities in America at the time (Booth et ., 2017). The establishment of the Coolidge dam paved the way for constructing new infrastructures such as hotels and golf courses, but this came with unforeseen consequences. A survey showed that at the beginning of the 1900s, the number of diabetic cases among the Pima people was only one. Still, within two decades of building the Coolidge dam, more than four hundred instances were in the community (Booth et ., 2017). This resulted in the community changing their general way of life to find recourse on the damage done. During this change, the Pima had to make do with the military’s commodity food, mainly cheese, refined sugar, and canned foods. These foods continued to worsen the diabetic condition, leading them to be commonly referred to as “Bad Sugar.”
Another example of an aspect relating to public health that is often overlooked is the living environment. A vast body of research has shown that an individual’s living conditions may influence their health in the same way their age might (Breen et al., 2017). Studies have shown that a child from a low-income racial minority community is expected to live approximately fifteen years less than their white counterparts in high-income suburban areas. Such disparities among communities led to the foundation of “Place Matters,” an initiative that looks to change participating communities’ health outcomes by employing evidence-based policy strategies to reduce health risk levels (Pawlicka-Deger, 2020) among the low-income communities.
Factors that influence health behaviors and health status of communities
Fewer factors can influence health status than their culture (Wheeler and Bryant, 2017). For example, the Pima community’s culture in Arizona dictated them to live off the land. The forced change of culture caused by the drying up of the Gila river proved to be an unprecedented challenge to the people’s health. The shift in diet from naturally grown food to processed foods was especially detrimental, evidenced by the spike in diabetic cases.
Racial differences also affect the health of communities, especially in urban and developed areas. Racial and ethnic minorities have seen disparities in access to quality healthcare (Wheeler and Bryant, 2017). Notably, these racial minorities make up most of the population in which have the lowest outcomes in terms of healthcare. Nevertheless, research has shown that patients of minority ethnicities from these communities have higher mortality and mobility from most chronic diseases than other races.
Health behaviors and status can also be influenced by social, economic status. One’s financial position will affect their living location and, in large part, their community. Having a higher economic level will afford individual access to decent communities with proper healthcare systems. On the other hand, the lower financial status is associated with difficulty accessing required healthcare, leading to poor health outcomes and a higher mortality rate.
Recommendations for Reducing Health Inequalities
The reduction of health inequalities would require consistent joint communal effort. It should first start by identifying individual communities in need of improvement in the healthcare system. Positive change in these communities must begin from the people that make up the population of the communities. Leaders from various sectors of these communities, such as public health officials, business leaders, faith leaders, and other grassroots organizations, should mobilize the population’s efforts.
These leaders should look to build intense collisions with communities that have better health care systems and engage policymakers to find ways to improve their communities’ health situation. For example, the “Place Matters” initiative pulls in support from relevant authorities such as the state and local governments to find a way of promoting collaborations between high and low-income communities all over the country (Pawlicka-Deger, 2020). Through such efforts and people’s cooperation in affected districts, society’s healthcare outcome will be improved.
References
Booth, C., Nourian, M. M., Weaver, S., Gull, B., & Kamimura, A. (2017). Policy and social factors influencing diabetes among Pima Indians in Arizona, USA. Policy, 7(3).
Breen, N., Lewis, D. R., Gibson, J. T., Yu, M., & Harper, S. (2017). Assessing disparities in colorectal cancer mortality by socioeconomic status using new tools: health disparities calculator and socioeconomic quintiles. Cancer Causes & Control, 28(2), 117-125.
Pawlicka-Deger, U. (2020). Place matters: Thinking about spaces for humanities practices. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 1474022220961750.
Wheeler, S. M., & Bryant, A. S. (2017). Racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics, 44(1), 1-11.
Question
Watch the videos on hour 3 from https://www.pbs.org/unnaturalcauses/hour_03.htm. It is made up of two segments. “Bad Sugar” which explores the causes and effects of diabetes within two Native American communities, and “Place Matters” which connects the dots between health, wealth, and zip codes.
Based on the video, discuss how the factors listed below can influence health behaviors and health status. Support your discourse with examples from the video.
Culture
Ethnicity
Race
Socioeconomic status
What can communities do to change the narrative and reduce health inequalities using the examples of “Bad sugar” and “Place matters” videos?
Assignment Expectations
Length: 2–3 pages (excluding the cover page and the reference list).