Why Do Poverty, Poor Health and Unequal Opportunity Persist in the Lives of So Many African Americans?

WHY DO HEALTH DISPARITIES PERSIST?

Posted by Ottis Pitts, JD, MPH is the Health Equity Associate for the Connecticut Association of Directors of Health. He also serves on the HealthJusticeCT Advisory Board on 29 November 2010 | 0 Comments

Why do poverty, poor health, and unequal opportunity persist in the lives of so many African Americans and to what extent are these trends a function of segregation, institutional or otherwise? Unfortunately, we have all struggled in our attempt to sufficiently articulate and explain this complex and sensitive relationship and why it results in such drastically different health outcomes in minority communities. Research on segregation and health has developed in number in recent years; however, studies and public health programming that specifically analyze and address segregation in the context of measurable social determinants and avoidable environmental health risks are in their infancy.