Question

Describe the health disparities that exist for African Americans. What are some of the major explanations or theories as to why they exist?

Answer 1

Various health disparities exist for African Americans as these disparities are population-specific differences in the prevalence of disease, health outcomes, or access to healthcare. Further, according to (NIH, 2014) health disparities are differences that exist among specific population groups in the United States in the attainment of full health potential that can be measured by differences in incidence, prevalence, mortality, burden of disease, and other adverse health conditions for example there is higher prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The theory of subtle, unconscious, automatic discrimination; the persistence of discriminatory attitudes can lead to unconscious and subtle forms of racial discrimination in the place of more explicit, direct hostility.