In Sickness and in Wealth of "Unnatural Causes" (video)
This video documents some of the disparities and inequalities we are facing in the United States of America. The video is time stamped in 2008. At that time, 2 trillion dollars is being spent on healthcare and 47 million people are without healthcare. A couple of important questions are addressed. Firstly, Is inequality making us sick? and Why are we getting sick?
This video mentions that lack of health insurance is not the cause of illness. It addresses other factors such as access to income, education, and social determinants of health to be some of the main causes of illness. Per the Louisville, KY study, living in a more affluent area allowed a greater life expectancy, more resources to manage stress, ability to buy healthier food, access to child care, and opportunity for vacations.
Social gradients of disease were mentioned. The top tier has better health and the bottom tier has worse health and excess death. College graduates live 2.5 years longer than high school graduates. Home ownership offers better financial security. Social policies drive health, economic policy is health policy. By improving and narrowing the economic gap we can reduce these disparities. In 1976 wealth inequality was at a record low, and has since soared. The poor are getting poorer and the middle class continues to feel the squeeze.
Wealth=Health
The United States of America is behind in how we utilize our housing support, childcare, and recreation resources. Equitable distribution of these resources allows for healthier communities. Health is a basic human right. If we can improve access to education and better wages we can improve one's health by reducing cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is a stress hormone that when raised can lead to elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and blood glucose. Over time, high cortisol levels have been shown to impair the immune system, accelerate the aging process, increase the risk for diabetes and heart disease, as well as brain shrinking.
CDC Health Disparities & Inequalities Report (CHDIR) - Minority Health - CDC
Hi Kara,
ReplyDeleteWhen watching this video, I did not realize how much income, education and other social determinants impacted health. I had never realized that these factors play such an important role in how healthy we are. It made me think back to a conversation we had in our first class meeting about our own privilege. I realized my own privilege and that I had access to education and a stable home growing up, which played a role in my overall health that I never knew about. I think about my students and how some of them may deal with excess stress at home, which increases their cortisol production. It makes me wonder how their health will be as they get older. Will they have to deal with some of the health issues that can develop from high amounts of cortisol? This video really opened my eyes to my own privilege, as well as how the inconsistencies of social classes can affect more than I ever realized.
Hi Kara,
ReplyDeleteI also found it very interesting how health care = healthier people. So many other factors which made sense to me after watching the film. I wonder what healthcare people think about this? I all seems so simple but it 10000% makes sense!