Social Behavior

You have learned quite a bit this semester about health disparities, and for good reason. Health disparities are one of the most critical issues public

health currently faces. Reducing disparities is a major point of emphasis in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding announcements, and disparities

reduction is a focus of numerous health promotion efforts at local, state and federal levels.

We frequently speak about health disparities as they relate to race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (broadly defined). However, disparities can occur

with respect to many other factors. One of the group presentations mentioned some of these factors that receive less attention (e.g. rural v. urban

populations). For your extra credit discussion question, please select a health topic where you have noticed or believe health disparities exist,

OUTSIDE of the areas of race/ethnicity, income, education, and gender. Describe the nature of this disparity, and try to use an ecological model

approach to explain the causes of this disparity. Remember that you should go beyond just describing the causes of the disease itself, and also describe

the cause of the disparity between the groups you have identified.