Racism & Health

Racism and Quality of Health

 Earlier this year I attended the Genesee County Health Department’s Public Health Conference.  This is an annual event and my second time attending.  The conference got me to thinking more deeply  about racism and how it can play a part in the quality of health a person experiences.  So, I did some research and came to some conclusions.

***Disclaimer***

I want you to be aware of cognitive dissonance which is the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change. Meaning, when your core beliefs are challenged your brain will go into a self-defense mode.  This can cause anger, denial of facts etc.  This defense mechanism can keep us from progressing and will have us blaming victims for the circumstances they were born into, so keep an eye out. I want you to keep in mind as you read this.  Sometimes we forget how the isms play a major role in how our society is shaped. 

Let's get started

Groups have been oppressed all over the world.  In the US the main source of oppression is racism.  This is so engrained in our history that the foundation  America was formed on is drenched in racism and oppression.  Think about it, I won’t go into detail (yet), but this country has some serious healing to do. When you commit the kinds of atrocities against a people and then continue to keep them at a disadvantage, society suffers.  Plain and simple!!  The health of the community is imperative to the overall health of the society.  

So, what is racism?

Racism is a system of organizing opportunities and assigning value based on the social interpretation of how we look.  Racism creates groups that are subjected to unequal treatment by the majority group. Racism is a learned behaviors that take away human resources and zaps the strength of the entire society.  Racial inequity occurs in different contexts; Institutional, personally- mediated and internalized.  This creates risk markers that include race, social class, geography, nationality, gender and sexual orientation. 

Now Let’s Talk About Health

Health is much more than we perceive it to be and is effected by our social standings more than we would like to think.  Anthony Iton (Public Health Official) said (in that Health Conference I told you I went to) “tell me your zip code and I will tell you how long you will live”.  I was utterly floored.  So again, I went digging. 

Health is actually a combination of home life, school, workplace and communities.  The definition reads; the state of being free from illness or injury or a person's mental or physical condition.  So while health is a state of well-being, that state is determined by “social determinants”.

Determinants of Health

I found the above graphic on www.healthypeople.com and while I was there I also learned the determinants of health.  They work into that combination of things we discussed earlier.  The website I perused looked at five key areas; economic Stability, education, social & community context, health & healthcare, and health technology.  I copied and pasted the breakdown of these determinants from the healthy people website.    

                                                         

Economic Stability

Poverty

Employment Status

Access to Employment

Housing Stability (e.g., homelessness, foreclosure)

Education

High School Graduation Rates

School Policies that Support Health Promotion

School Environments that are Safe and Conducive to Learning

Enrollment in Higher Education

Social and Community Context

Family Structure

Social Cohesion

Perceptions of Discrimination and Equity

Civic Participation

Incarceration/Institutionalization

Health and Health Care

Access to Health services—including clinical and preventive care

Access to Primary Care—including community-based health promotion and wellness programs

Health Technology

Neighborhood and Build Environment

Quality of Housing

Crime and Violence

Environmental Conditions

Access to Healthy Foods

(source: http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/default.aspx) 

   

 


(Top two: safe neighborhoods. Bottom four: Neighborhood blight)

Tying it all Together

When certain groups are oppressed based on racist ideology it creates these systems where the opportunities are limited.  Take my hometown Flint, MI, access to employment is limited, a large percentage live below the poverty line, the education system is subpar, school environment is challenged, family structure has fallen apart, crime and violence is at a national high and access to healthy and affordable food is limited.  We have been called a food desert on many occasions.  Flint’s population is 56.56% African American, 3.88% Latino, 3.87% Multi-racial, and .99% other race (non-white).  This shows (but doesn’t prove, but who are we fooling?) that disadvantages exist based on models of racism and inequality that have existed for years.

Resources

Jones, C. (2009). Social determinants of health and equity. Virginia health equity conference, Virginia.

Carlson, J. (n.d.). Race & gender . doi: slideshare.net

Center for Disease Control. (2012, February ). Healthy communities program, attaining health equity . Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/AAG/healthy_communities.htm

Healthy People. (2013, April 10). Social determinants of health . Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicId=39

Cohen, H. W. (2000). Getting political: Racism and urban health. 90, 841-842.