WK3Assgn Factors Contributing to Health Disparities and Ways to Address Them.docx HLTH 21

WK3Assgn Factors Contributing to Health Disparities and Ways to Address Them.docx  HLTH 2110           Factors Contributing to Health Disparities and Ways to Address Them  HLTH 2110  Factors Contributing to Health Disparities and Ways to Address Them  Introduction  Disparities are often seen as being related to racial or ethnic, however, many other elements exist, especially regarding health.  Health and health care disparities refer to differences in health and health care between groups that are closely linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage.  (Disparities in Health and Health Care: Five Key Questions and Answers, 2020).  In this paper, I will examine several factors that contribute to health disparities and various ways to address them.  Body Paragraphs  Multiple social ecological factors contribute to the existence of health disparities.  These contributing social ecological factors are inclusive of but not limited to income, poverty, education, lack of healthy food, residential segregation, stress, social and physical environment, insurance, access to care and employment. The lack of resources in lower income areas is often a driving contributing factor to the existence of health disparities.  Food deserts and the lack of available healthy nutritious food, unsafe housing, pollution, gyms and higher incidence of crime, and Substance Use Disorder often lead to poorer health outcomes.  If an individual is not healthy, their potential earning ability is greatly reduced.  In addition, the instance of hospitalization for chronic