Health disparities (i.e. differences in health outcomes across populations) across a wide variety of health conditions and for a wide variety of human groups are pervasive in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Using concepts explored in the readings related to intersectionality theory in addition to course texts, select a health issue of interest and a population experiencing health disparities around that issue. For your chosen issue, please answer the following:
1. What is the health issue, and why do disparities in health outcomes exist for the population you’ve selected? Provide an overview of the scope, magnitude, and overall importance of your topic (5 points).
2. Using an intersectional approach, examine some of the “upstream” social determinants that shape disparities in health outcomes. Why do disparities exist in the first place? Why are health outcomes patterned in this way at the population level (5 points)?
3. Using the framework above in addition to other concepts and perspectives we’ve explored in class, what are some possible solutions to your chosen issue (5 points)?
4. Leith Mullings and Amy Schulz (2006) argue that “health disparities based on race/racism, class, and gender/sexism are matters of life and death. They express, in differences of both quality and length of life, the unequal structuring of life chances”. What do they mean by this and what are the implications for the work of public health (5 points)?
Format
4-5 pages, plus references (both in-text and as works cited page). At least 3 references are required, two of which are included as articles in the “supplementary materials” tab. Please format your document to be 1-inch margins all around with 2.0 line spacing, 12-point font.
Grading
Answers to each of the 4 questions above are worth 5 points each.