Health Disparities Quiz #3

Health Disparity

Systematic, plausibly avoidable health differences according to race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or SES

Health Behavior

Any action people take—intentionally or unintentionally—that affects their health, illness, or recovery

Social Determinants of Health

Conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life

Ex: neighborhood, economic stability, education, healthcare access, social support

Root Cause

Sources of discrimination that effect policy/laws

Cultural Competency

The ability to understand, communication, and effectively interact with people across cultures. However, there is an implication that people of a specific background or ancestry are a uniform in identities, values, and customs.

Cultural Humility

An approach to cultural competency. Recognizing that it requires a process of continual self-reflection on short-comings, values, and beliefs, and a willingness to be open to continual learning form, and acceptance, of other’s values and beliefs.

Culturally Responsive Care

A practice where health and mental health providers actively recognize, respect, and adapt to a patient's unique cultural identity, language, and lived experience

Equity

Allocating specific support and resources based on individual or group needs. People start from different places and face systemic or personal barriers.

Equality

Treating everyone the same way, regardless of background or starting point.

Genetic Determinism

The belief that human traits, behavior, intelligence, and health are directly and rigidly controlled by an individual's genes, independent of environmental influences or personal development

Race

Social Construct

A categorization of humans into distinct groups based on shared physical or social qualities, such as skin color, facial features, and hair texture

Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP)

A common genetic variation where a single DNA building block—called a nucleotide—differs at a specific position in the genome.

Individual Discrimination

Unequal or harmful treatment directed by one person against another based on personal characteristics like race, gender, age, religion, or disability

Institutional Discrimination

The systematic and unfair treatment of certain groups through the established policies, laws, and operating procedures of organizations and institutions

Measured Glomerular Filtration Rate

Iohexol, iothalamate, or inulin—is injected intravenously, and timed blood or urine samples are collected to track how fast the marker is cleared from your body. It is the most accurate but it is expensive, time-consuming, requires specialized medical centers, and involves intravenous lines and multiple lab draws.

Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate

Estimates kidney function using an equation that incorporates serum creatinine, age, gender, and race. However, it artificially inflates kidney function numbers for Black patients, leading to severe delays in diagnosis, specialist care, and life-saving transplants.