Page 242 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

HeAlTH DISpArITIeS: THeOreTIcAl AND MeTHODOlOGIcAl ApprOAcHeS n 209

health care are many. Although not unique strategy for national health promotion and
to nursing, there is an insufficient breadth prevention to improve lives of the U.S. pub-
and depth of nursing research with racial lic. Using measurable health indicators, the H
and ethnic minority populations that is ade- Healthy people strategy advances two pri-
quate to guide practice. certainly, the lack of mary goals for the American public: (1) to
research in this area is not unique to nurs- improve length and quality of life and (2) to
ing. This issue is compounded by the limited eliminate health disparities (DHHS, 2010b).
racial and ethnic diversity within nursing. For 30 years, the Healthy people agenda
It is critical that nurses increase their lead- has alerted the nation’s health community
ership and their knowledge by collaborating about gaps in the provision of health care.
with other disciplines, with a mutual inter- Nonetheless, segments of the U.S. population
est in eliminating health disparities among continue to experience pervasive inequities
racial and ethnic minorities as well as other in health care beyond poor access to care and
segments of the population. recognizing the financial inability to pay for health care and
influence of social determinants on health other services. efforts exclusively focused on
and health care, acknowledging and work- increasing technology and improving the
ing toward the elimination of institutional quality of health care lack the capacity to off-
racism and discrimination in health care set- set societal gradients of age, gender, racial
tings and schools, increasing the racial and or ethnic differences, education, and socio-
ethnic diversity within the nursing work- economic status (SeS; Barr, 2008; Gresenz,
force, and the need for true partnerships rogowski, & escarce, 2009). Mandated by
with racial and ethnic minority communities congress since 1999, the most recent National
are several of the needed strategies needed to Healthcare Disparities report (Agency for
eliminate disparities. Healthcare research and Quality, 2009) once
again described a continuing decline in
Antonia M. Villarruel health performance measures for minority
Brandon N. Respress and populations with low SeS. As a remedy,
the report urges particular attention to rais-
ing awareness of health disparities, training
minority providers, and forming public–
HealtH Disparities: private partnerships to identify and test solu-
tHeoretiCal anD tions to this dilemma (DHHS, 2010b). The
MetHoDologiCal future health of minority and low-income
populations is the focus for improvement.
approaCHes SeS describes the interplay of income,
education, and occupation (Barr, 2008).
Socioeconomic insecurities, especially in
The 1948 United Nation’s Universal neighborhoods with limited employment
Declaration of Human rights set forth the opportunities, lack of resources, and poor
right of all individuals to have “a standard availability of health care services, exacer-
of living adequate for health and well-being.” bate health inequities. As an example, a low-
However, when unacceptable global ineq- income, minority community lacking grocery
uity in health status was recognized, the stores that offer healthy and fresh food selec-
World Health Organization in 1978 set a goal tions contributes to chronic obesity, a mount-
of primary health care for all people by the ing problem for many Americans (cyzman,
year 2000. By 1985, the U.S. Department of Wierenga, & Sielawa, 2009; Sloane et al., 2006).
Health and Human Services (DHHS, 2010a) community-based action to reduce obesity
began developing the 10-year Healthy people calls for coordination of policy, resources,