There is an awareness today of new, explanatory factors for structural exclusion, such as gender and ethnicity or race, which have seldom before been considered in policy design in Latin America and the Caribbean. Cultural and ideological factors can place specific human populations, such as immigrant women, older adults, and ethnic/race or sexual minorities, in an unfavorable social position. In the area of health, this limitation of opportunity operates either directly (difficulty in accessing services, poor quality of the available services, and inadequate information) or indirectly (lifestyles, place of residence, type of occupation, income, and others). Several questions must be answered in order to confirm the hypothesis: Do health conditions vary among ethnic groups, and why are variations present throughout the Region despite marked regional and historical differences? Why do they exist? In other words, does an ethnic approach has explanatory value when analyzing social differentials and health? What factors cause some individuals to postpone the decision to seek medical attention? Finally, what can be done to overcome this situation? Thus, the genetic factor is discarded; the reasons for health differentials should be sought in social and cultural factors such as racial discrimination. This paper focuses on analysis of data on health status and access to services differentials for selected countries in the Region where this type of information is available. The paper ends with some conclusions designed to open the debate and contribute to public policy-making.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to understand the importance of racial/ethnical determination of inequalities in Health in Latin America and the Caribbean
Keywords: Ethnicity,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.