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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Dhananjaya Arekere, PhD¹, Craig H. Blakely, PhD², Lee Green, PhD¹, Brian Rivers, PhD¹, Desiree Rivers, MPH³, and Kyrel Rowell, MS³. (1) Center for the Study of Health Disparities, Texas A&M Univeristy, 4222 TAMU, 112 Harrington Tower, College Station, TX 77845, 979-862-2958, arekere@tamu.edu, (2) Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Rural Public Health, 1622 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, (3) Center for the Study of Health Disparities, Texas A&M University, 4222 TAMU, 112 Harrington Tower, College Station, TX 77843

Racial and ethnic health disparities in the U.S. predate the formation of the Republic. However, only recently have attempts been made to systematically measure and quantify health disparities despite Du Bois' call for action in 1906. While a growing body of evidence demonstrates the widespread prevalence of health disparities, the pathways leading to health disparities are only now being investigated. Therefore, a through understanding of the causes of health disparities is still evasive. Nevertheless, socio-economic inequities have been persuasively presented as a thesis explaining health disparities. These inequities are only symptoms, however. In addition to socio-economic inequities, the factors contributing to socio-economic inequities are also directly causing health disparities. As the underlying factors are responsible for socio-economic inequities, they are also responsible for health disparities. The attempt in this paper is to present a set of contemporaneous factors that are leading to health disparities. Specifically, racism, racialism, resentment, individualism and social Darwinism (RRRIS) form the foundation on which inequities, both socio-economic and health, rest and persist. The association between health disparities and the effects of the confluence of RRRIS is discussed using two sets of data sources as illustration of trends in perceptions of prejudice. Reponses to the general social science survey, and the U.S. Census Bureau dissimilarity and isolation indexes form 1980, 1990 and 2000 are used to examine the trends in the views of Whites about nonwhites. Not only does the RRRIS thesis offer a powerful explanation of why health disparities exist and will persist, but also provides insights into new areas of health disparities research and the provision of equitable and quality healthcare. Most importantly, cultural competency training may be woefully inadequate to address the challenges of unequal treatment in the RRRIS framework. A comprehensive diversity training of health professionals is necessary to impact the perceptions about privileges, structural exclusionary settings, and consequences of inequalities on the different forces leading to unequal medical care.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion participants will be able to
• Recognize the current limitations in explanations of unequal treatment
• Understand the underlying causes and not symptoms of unequal treatment
• Identify the different pathways leading to racial and ethnic health disparities

Keywords: Health Disparities, Medical Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered