Health Disparities: Important Public Health Problem

Health Care Disparities
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Health Disparities
For centuries, differences have existed among the different types of populations represented in a particular country and region. The disparities range from the age, gender, race, ethnicity and even religion. In health care, the disparities that exist affect the delivery of health care and the access to medical services with other groups having a better advantage over others due to different factors for instance the social, economic and environmental factors. For approximately 10 years, the Healthy People 2020 program has been striving to reduce and to eliminate the health disparities that exist among the American population. According to Meyer et al (2013), the Healthy People 2020, however, focuses on achieving health equality among the different types of people, to completely eliminate the differences that exist and to improve the access to health and health care services among the different groups of people.
The differences that exist in the delivery of health care greatly affects the different groups of people who have experienced discrimination based on their racial affiliation, their religious affiliations, their financial status, age, gender and their sexual orientation (Meyer et al, 2013). The existing health disparities can be pointed out by analyzing the spread of diseases, the death rates recorded, the existence of chronic illnesses, mental and physical disability and the geographic location of the different people. One of the leading health care indicators is the maternal, infant and child health. The health of mothers and children goes a long way in influencing the general health of the future generations as it this can help predict the situation in future for communities and families. When the heath of the mother and baby is kept in check, the general population will have a better future as any issues related to health are dealt with at an early age.
The Health Problem, Definition of the Problem and the Risk Factors
The main challenge affecting the maternal, infant and child health is the death rate recorded among the infants during childbirth and the health complications developed by mothers after delivery. For others, children are born prematurely and their survival rate is very minimal, therefore the death rate is higher than the birth rate. According to statistics collected by the Healthy People 2020, preterm births have risen by more than 20% from 1990 to 2006 (Meyer et al, 2013). Some women also suffer pregnancy complications and as a result, most of them do not deliver naturally. Children a...