The theme of this issue of The American Journal of the Medical Sciences is “Exploring Demographic Health Differences—A Foundation for Addressing Health Disparities
in Cardiovascular Disease.” There have been significant improvements in health indicators
in the united States and developed countries over the last 20 years. However, evidence
indicates that the improvements are not consistent across all groups of people with
rates of disease, premature death and disability disproportionate across race/ethnicity,
age and gender. Simply stated, health disparities refer to differences between groups
of people. These differences can impact how frequently a disease affects a group,
how many people get sick or how often the disease causes adverse health outcomes.
Healthy People 2020 define a health disparity as “a particular type of health difference
that is closely linked with social, economic and/or environmental disadvantage. Health
disparities adversely affect groups of people who have systematically experienced
greater obstacles to health based on their racial or ethnic group; religion; socioeconomic
status; gender; age; mental health; cognitive, sensory, or physical disability; sexual
orientation or gender identity; geographic location or other characteristics historically
linked to discrimination or exclusion.”
1.
Thus, health disparities result from multiple factors including not only poverty,
environmental dangers and inadequate access to health care, but also individual and
behavioral factors and educational inequalities.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to The American Journal of the Medical SciencesAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
REFERENCES
- The Secretary's Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020.(Accessed June 16, 2014, Phase I report: recommendations for the framework and format of Healthy People 2020. Section IV. Advisory Committee Findings and Recommendations)
- Growing up or growing old? Cellular aging linked with testosterone reactivity to stress in youth.Am J Med Sci. 2014; 348: 92-100
- Sex and race (Black-White) differences in the relationship of childhood risk factors to adulthood arterial stiffness: the Bogalusa Heart Study.Am J Med Sci. 2014; 348: 101-107
- Statin underuse and low prevalence of LDL-C control among US adults at high risk of coronary heart disease.Am J Med Sci. 2014; 348: 108-114
- Prevalence, trends, and functional impairment associated with reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria among the oldest-old US adults.Am J Med Sci. 2014; 348: 115-120
- Immunity-to-change: are hidden motives underlying patient nonadherence to chronic disease medications?.Am J Med Sci. 2014; 348: 121-128
- Systolic blood pressure goals to reduce cardiovascular disease among older adults.Am J Med Sci. 2014; 348: 129-134
- Racial differences in hypertension: implications for high blood pressure management.Am J Med Sci. 2014; 348: 135-138
- Comprehensive approach for hypertension control in low-income populations: rationale and study design for Hypertension Control Program in Argentina.Am J Med Sci. 2014; 348: 139-145
- Gender, race, and cardiac rehabilitation in the United States: is there a difference in care?.Am J Med Sci. 2014; 348: 146-152
- Sex differences in cardiovascular health: does sexism influence women's health?.Am J Med Sci. 2014; 348: 153-155
Article info
Footnotes
The authors have no financial or other conflicts of interest to disclose.
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
