Health Promotion among Diverse Populations

Census revealed that the ethnic and racial minority groups make up about 36% of the total population. The communities of color in the U. S include African Americans, Alaska Natives or American Indians, Latinos or Hispanics, Native Hawaiians, Asian Americans along with other Pacific Islanders. Although health indicators like infant mortality and life expectancy have greatly improved for many Americans, some of the minorities still experience an inconsistent burden of death, disability, and preventable diseases as compared with the non-minorities (Barr, 2014). What is more, the racial and ethnic minorities are expected to be the majority in the next few decades. The minority group is disproportionately impacted by poor living conditions that are shaped social position and structural factors also called the social determinants of health (SDH).

They include education, macroeconomics, social support systems, income, occupation, and cultural values. SDH has health impacts on the individuals through a phenomenon called allostatic load. The occurrence is purported to result in chronic stress, which in turn bring about behavioral risk factors like substance use, poor diet, sedentary behaviors and biological processes such as inflammation, rhythm disruption, and cytokine response. The primary leading cause of death among this community is cancer and heart diseases, which accounts for 2 in every 5 deaths, a rate that is similar to that of the whites (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015, May 5). Cultural factors also impact Hispanic access to medical care (Morales, Lara, Kington, Valdez, & Escarce, 2002). For example, most of the health care providers might be unfamiliar with the Hispanic culture and as such, might not understand the importance of family in making decisions pertaining treatment or discharge planning.

Education might be another factor influencing the health status of the Hispanics. The 2015 Census data reveals that 66% of Hispanics have a high school diploma as compared to 92% American whites. The report further indicated that 14. The Hispanic community, in particular, faces numerous health threats due to educational barriers and economic disparities among other factors. Diabetes and heart diseases and the major causes of death among this population. Thereby, it is important for the health promotion interventions to effectively address the issues at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. References Barr, D. A. , Kline, M. V. , & Peterson, D. V. (Eds. J. Socioeconomic, cultural, and behavioral factors affecting Hispanic health outcomes.  Journal of health care for the poor and underserved, 13(4), 477. Velasco-Mondragon, E. , Jimenez, A.