Minority Populations and Health : An Introduction to Health Disparities in the United States

__"The text is state-of-the-art in its analysis of health disparities from both domestic and international perspectives. Minority Populations and Health: An Introduction to Health Disparities in the United States is a welcome addition to the field because it widens access to the complex issues underlying the health disparities problem. "-- Preventing Chronic Disease/CDC, October 2005__"This is a very comprehensive, evidence-based book dealing with the health disparities that plague the United States. This is a welcome and valuable addition to the field of health care for minority groups in the United States."-- Doody's Publishers Bulletin, August 2005"Health isn't color-blind. Racial minorities disproportionately suffer from some diseases, but experts say race alone doesn't completely account for the disparities. Newsweek's Jennifer Barrett Ozols spoke with Thomas LaVeist, director of the Center for Health Disparities Solutions at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and author of the upcoming book, "Minority Populations and Health: An Introduction to Health Disparities in the U.S." (__Jossey-Bass__) about race and medicine. "-- MSNBC/Newsweek interview with author Thomas L. LaVeist, February 2005"The book is readable and organized to be quickly read with specifics readily retrievable. It is comprehensive and visual."-- Journal of the American Medical Association, September 2005__Minority Populations and Health__is a textbook that offers a complete foundation in the core issues and theoretical frameworks for the development of policy and interventions to address race disparities in health-related outcomes. This book covers U.S. health and social policy, the role of race and ethnicity in health research, social factors contributing to mortality, longevity and life expectancy, quantitative and demographic analysis and access, and utilization of health services. Instructors material available at http: //[www.minorityhealth.com](http://www.minorityhealth.com) MINORITY POPULATIONS AND HEALTH 8 CONTENTS 10 TABLES AND FIGURES 12 PREFACE 18 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 20 CHAPTER ONE: HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF RACE/ETHNICITY AND HEALTH 24 Historical Background 24 Why Is It Important to Study Minority Health? 29 A Note on Terminology and Placing Humans in Categories 30 Census Terminology Study 33 PART ONE: CROSSCUTTING ISSUES 36 CHAPTER TWO: CONCEPTUAL ISSUES IN RACE/ETHNICITY AND HEALTH 38 Outline 38 Introduction 38 Origins of the Race Concept 39 Problems with the Race Concept 40 Office of Management and Budget Directive 15 48 A Conceptual Model of Race/Ethnicity and Health 50 Summary 51 Key Words 52 CHAPTER THREE: THE DEMOGRAPHY OF AMERICAN RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES 53 Outline 53 What Is Demography? 53 The U.S. Population 54 Fertility 61 Family Formation 66 Mortality 69 Migration 70 Summary 73 Key Words 73 PART TWO: MORBIDITY, MORTALITY, AND RACIAL/ETHNIC DISPARITIES IN HEALTH 74 CHAPTER FOUR: THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITIES 76 Outline 76 Introduction 77 What Is Epidemiology? 77 Comparative Mortality 77 Life Expectancy 90 Leading Causes of Death 95 Years of Potential Life Lost 96 Comparative Morbidity 99 Summary 104 Key Words 104 CHAPTER FIVE: MENTAL HEALTH 106 Outline 106 Introduction 106 Most Prevalent Mental Disorders in the United States 110 Racial/Ethnic Differences in Prevalence of Mental Disorders 119 The Difficulty of Diagnosing Mental Illness 122 Idioms of Distress and Culture-Bound Syndromes 123 Risk and Protective Factors for Mental Health Problems and Mental Disorders 125 Utilization of Mental Health Services 126 Summary 129 Key Words 130 CHAPTER SIX: HEALTH CARE SERVICES AMONG RACIAL/ETHNIC GROUPS 131 Outline 131 Introduction: Definition of Health Care 131 Health Care Disparities 132 Access to and Use of Health Care 134 Behavioral Model of Health Services Use 135 Quality of Care 143 Cultural Appropriateness of Care 144 How Health Care Disparities Contribute to Health Status Disparities 147 Summary 151 Key Words 152 PART THREE: ETIOLOGY OF RACIAL/ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH 154 CHAPTER SEVEN: THEORIES OF RACIAL/ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH 156 Outline 156 Introduction 156 Determinants of Health 157 Socioenvironmental Theories of Health Disparities 159 Psychosocial/Behavioral Theories of Health Disparities 165 Biogenetic and Physiological Theories of Health Disparities 176 Summary 178 Key Words 178 CHAPTER EIGHT: SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND RACIAL/ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH 180 Outline 180 Introduction 180 What Is Socioeconomic Status? 181 Measures of Socioeconomic Status 182 The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Status and Health 193 Income Inequality and Health 198 Are Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Health Manifestations of SES Differences? 199 Summary 201 Key Words 202 CHAPTER NINE: BEHAVIOR AND HEALTH 203 Outline 203 Introduction 203 Risk Behavior 204 Prevention Behavior 204 Illness Behavior 204 Prevention Behavior and Risk Behavior 205 Use of Preventive Medical Services 218 Illness Behavior 220 Summary 225 Key Words 225 PART FOUR: RACIAL/ETHNIC GROUPSPECIFIC HEALTH ISSUES 226 CHAPTER TEN: AFRICAN AMERICAN HEALTH ISSUES 228 Outline 228 Introduction 228 Death Rates and Causes of Death Among African Americans 229 Health Care Access and Utilization 234 Major Health Risks and Health Issues Among African Americans 236 Summary 245 Key Words 245 CHAPTER ELEVEN:AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE HEALTH ISSUES 246 Outline 246 Introduction 246 Health Status 247 Health Care Access and Utilization 254 Major Health Risks 256 Racial/Ethnic Group – Specific Health Issues 260 Summary 263 Key Words 264 CHAPTER TWELVE: ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HEALTH ISSUES 265 Outline 265 Introduction 265 Health Status 268 Health Care Access and Utilization 275 Major Health Issues Among Asians/Pacific Islanders 278 Summary 282 Key Words 282 CHAPTER THIRTEEN: HISPANIC/LATINO HEALTH ISSUES 283 Outline 283 Introduction 283 Death Rates and Causes of Death Among Hispanics/Latinos 285 Health Care Access and Utilization 292 Major Health Issues Among Hispanics/Latinos 294 Summary 301 Key Words 302 PART FIVE: CONCLUSIONS 304 CHAPTER FOURTEEN: ADDRESSING DISPARITIES IN HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE 306 Outline 306 Connecting Health Status and Health Care Disparities 306 Addressing Health Status Disparities 308 Addressing Health Care Disparities 311 Additional Keys to Success 318 Summary 320 Key Words 320 APPENDIX A: CASE STUDIES 321 Chapter Two Case Study 321 Chapter Six Case Study 323 Chapter Twelve Case Study 323 Chapter Thirteen Case Study 324 APPENDIX: B: ADDITIONAL READINGS 326 Chapter One 326 Chapter Two 326 Chapter Three 327 Chapter Four 327 Chapter Five 327 Chapter Six 328 Chapter Seven 328 Chapter Eight 328 Chapter Nine 329 Chapter Ten 329 Chapter Eleven 329 Chapter Twelve 329 Chapter Thirteen 330 Chapter Fourteen 330 REFERENCES 331 NAME INDEX 356 SUBJECT INDEX 362

Minority Populations and Health

Minority Populations and Health is a textbook that offers a complete foundation in the core issues and theoretical frameworks for the development of policy and interventions to address race disparities in health-related outcomes. This book covers U.S. health and social policy, the role of race and ethnicity in health research, social factors contributing to mortality, longevity and life expectancy, quantitative and demographic analysis and access, and utilization of health services.

Praise for Minority Populations and Health

"Dr. LaVeist has written a valuable textbook on one of the most important yet least understood public health issues of our day: racial and ethnic health disparities in the United States. Dr. LaVeist's book is a must-read for anyone concerned about public health and social justice in the United States."

—Harold W. Neighbors, Ph.D., professor, health behavior and health education, director, Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health, and associate director, Program for Research on Black Americans, University of Michigan School of Public Health

"This introductory text offers a well-written overview of the epidemiology and etiology of health disparities in American ethnic and racial minority populations."

—Martha N. Hill, Ph.D., R.N., dean and professor, The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

"Minority Populations and Health provides a thorough overview of racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care in the United States and thoughtfully highlights some of the key issues and tensions surrounding this important American health crisis."

—Joseph R. Betancourt, M.D., M.P.H., senior scientist, Partners-Massachusetts General Hospital Institute for Health Policy, director of multicultural education, Massachusetts General Hospital, and assistant professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Penny Wolfe Moore, RNC, PhD(Southwestern Adventist University)
Description:This book focuses on the health disparities of minority populations in the United States, using many tables and charts (no color) that illustrate main points very well.
Purpose:The author had taught courses on health inequality for several years but could not find a comprehensive book, so he wrote this especially to meet that classroom need. He meets his objective, and the book is also useful for community health planners and educators.
Audience:It was written with undergraduate and graduate students in mind but a wider audience exists. Community health educators and community developers will find this book very useful. Anyone working on the Healthy People 2010 objectives will need this as a reference.
Features:This book offers a comprehensive discussion of the many factors leading to health disparities related to racial/ethnic issues. The healthcare needs of minority groups are explored with many strategies presented. Theory is linked to research and implications for action are included. Many charts and tables are included that summarize material and give more meaning to research findings.
Assessment:This is a very comprehensive, evidence-based book dealing with the health disparities that plague the United States. The problems are identified and then followed by strategies for action. This is a welcome and valuable addition to the field of healthcare for minority groups in the United States.

"The text is state-of-the-art in its analysis of health disparities from both domestic and international perspectives. Minority Populations and Health: An Introduction to Health Disparities in the United States is a welcome addition to the field because it widens access to the complex issues underlying the health disparities problem. "-- Preventing Chronic Disease/CDC, October 2005 "This is a very comprehensive, evidence-based book dealing with the health disparities that plague the United States. This is a welcome and valuable addition to the field of health care for minority groups in the United States."-- Doody's Publishers Bulletin, August 2005 "Health isn't color-blind. Racial minorities disproportionately suffer from some diseases, but experts say race alone doesn't completely account for the disparities. Newsweek's Jennifer Barrett Ozols spoke with Thomas LaVeist, director of the Center for Health Disparities Solutions at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and author of the upcoming book, "Minority Populations and Health: An Introduction to Health Disparities in the U.S." ( Jossey-Bass ) about race and medicine. "-- MSNBC/Newsweek interview with author Thomas L. LaVeist, February 2005 "The book is readable and organized to be quickly read with specifics readily retrievable. It is comprehensive and visual."-- Journal of the American Medical Association, September 2005 Minority Populations and Health is a textbook that offers a complete foundation in the core issues and theoretical frameworks for the development of policy and interventions to address race disparities in health-related outcomes. This book covers U.S. health and social policy, the role of race and ethnicity in health research, social factors contributing to mortality, longevity and life expectancy, quantitative and demographic analysis and access, and utilization of health services. Instructors material available at http: //(http://www.minorityhealth.com) www.minorityhealth.com Offers an analysis of health disparities from both domestic and international perspectives. This book deals with the health disparities that plague the United States. It offers a complete foundation in the core issues and theoretical frameworks for the development of policy and interventions to address race disparities in health-related outcomes.