Addressing social justice through health education and promotion

The healthcare system seems not to be working, particularly, for the underserved. This is largely contributed to socioeconomic factors including the lack of income and the lack of health education. Moreover, the pervasive reality of subjectivity and discretion in healthcare may lead to racism and classism, such as providing disparate treatment, assumptions about intelligence, and lifestyle. Unfortunately, this will lead to greater disparities in healthcare, as persons might become less trusting and may not seek care. Therefore, the objective of this study is to eliminate health and healthcare disparities through health education and promotion in geographic areas with large underserved populations such as those in Mississippi. Interestingly, Mississippi has been coined the “No. 1 Most Unhealthy State” and leads the nation in health disparities and most chronic diseases. Little to no research has been done in this area. Because of these alarming statistics and the increasing gap in health and healthcare disparities, the Jackson State University Center of Excellence in Minority Health and the Institute of Epidemiology and Health Services Research is taking the lead and has implemented health education and promotion community outreach and engagement projects to eliminate health disparities related to certain chronic diseases and conditions. These include adult and childhood obesity, youth and tobacco use, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, HIV AIDS, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The study population consists largely of cohorts of African Americans who reside in rural Mississippi because they are mostly disproportionately affected by disease. Interventional studies showed that there was a significant relationship between increasing knowledge and increasing health education. The findings from these studies demonstrate that health education promotion activities may be beneficial in empowering the community with knowledge to make informed decisions about a healthy lifestyle. These projects have great public health significance where their findings will be utilized to promote social justice, legislation, and policies on health and healthcare in Mississippi and used as role models for other states throughout the country.