Application: Factors Contributing to Health Disparities and Ways to Address Them.

The Healthy People 2020 objectives and the Millennium Goals are two ambitious approaches to addressing the disparities found in vulnerable populations. In this Application Assignment, you will determine factors that contribute to health disparities, how culture impacts treatment in healthcare, and how the goals and objectives plan to reduce or eliminate health disparities.

To prepare for this Application Assignment, review the following (with your Healthy People assigned focus area in mind):

The definition of culture and articles relating to how culture impacts treatment in healthcare are posted in the Doc Sharing area under Week 3 helpful articles
Pages 24-41 of your textbook about the objectives that relate to health care in general and, more specifically, health disparities.
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2009 http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG_Report_2009_ENG.pdf
Healthy People 2020: What Are Its Goals? http://healthypeople.gov/2020/
Focus your attention on "Overarching Goal #2: Achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups."
To complete this Application Assignment, write a 3- to 4-page paper that addresses the following questions.

What socio-ecological factors contribute to the existence of health disparities? (Examples include socioeconomics and education).
How might one's culture serve as a barrier to equal treatment when it comes to healthcare? Give an example. (*Note: Please remember that culture is not skin color).
Give an example or examples of how populations experience unequal treatment and disparity in healthcare. Provide some statistics to help illustrate this point from the CDC, the textbook, your Resources this week, or another reliable source.
How do the health-related Millennium Development Goals address such health disparities?
Discuss 2 to 3 Healthy People 2020 objectives that provide a framework for addressing health disparities, based on your Healthy People assigned focus area.
Support your answers with statistical information about your Healthy People assigned focus area. The following are a few websites that provide a wealth of data regarding specific populations and Healthy People assigned focus area:

State Health Facts, Kaiser Family Foundation www.statehealthfacts.org
Statistical Information System, World Health Organization http://www.who.int/whosis/en/
Interactive Map: Maps: The Global Picture http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/aids/atlas/us.html