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Some scholars have argued for a genetic understanding of racial health disparities in the United States, suggesting that certain genes predispose individuals to specific diseases. [213] However, the U.S. Census Bureau's recognition of race as a social and not biological category necessitates a social understanding of the causes of health ...
Health is measured through variables such as life expectancy and incidence of diseases. [16] For racial and ethnic minorities in the United States, health disparities take on many forms, including higher rates of chronic disease, premature death, and maternal mortality compared to the rates among whites.
Biological factors, such as higher rates of preexisting chronic disease prior to pregnancy, fail to fully account for differences in outcomes. [5] There is a lack of evidence to support a genetic difference between racial groups as a cause of maternal health disparities such as preterm birth. [6]
These health disparities are root issues to the health equity crisis present not just in the United States, but even around the world. For example, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, [ 2 ] followed closely by cancer , with the fifth most deadly being diabetes .
It outlined the six causes of death that accounted for more than 80% of mortality among ethnic and racial minorities. The report included recommendations to reduce these health disparities, as well as to collect data of a higher quality for Hispanics, Asian Americans, American Indians, and Alaska Natives. [4]
According to "Epidemiology of racial/ethnic disparities in severe maternal morbidity and mortality," screenings are a large component of prevention for severe maternal morbidity which directly correlates to the increase in black mortality during pregnancy as well as access to resources (Holdt, 2017).
NIMHD addresses disparities in minority health in the United States. It defines minority health as "all aspects of health and disease in one or more racial/ethnic minority populations as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, including Blacks/African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asians, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians/other Pacific Islanders."
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unequal impact on different racial and ethnic groups in the United States, resulting in new disparities of health outcomes as well as exacerbating existing health and economic disparities. The pandemic struck the United States in March 2020, causing almost 2 million known cases by June 1, 2020. [1]