Module 1: Health Disparities

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering health disparities, the social-ecological model, modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors, social determinants of health, and the six human dimensions of care.

Health Disparities

The preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations.

Scope of Health Disparities

A continuum of disparity that ranges from acceptable on one end, to avoidable in the middle, to totally unacceptable at the other end.

Social-Ecological Model

A theoretical framework considering the complex interplay between individual, relationship, community, and societal factors to understand risk and protective factors.

Structural-Constructive Model

A theoretical model centered on how institutional structures, nursing education, and hands-on clinical experiences shape healthcare delivery and understanding.

Culture

The beliefs, values, and behaviors that are shared by members of a society and provide a template or 'road map' for living.

Cultural Competence Model

A healthcare framework focused on respecting and accommodating clients' diverse beliefs, values, and cultural practices without judgment while upholding facility policies.

Risk Factors

Influences or conditions that increase a person's chances for illness or injury, including age, genetic factors, physiological factors, health habits, lifestyle, and environment.

Modifiable Risk Factors

Health-influencing behaviors and conditions that can be altered or changed by an individual, such as tobacco use, diet, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and substance abuse.

Nonmodifiable Risk Factors

Inherent biological and demographic traits that cannot be altered, specifically age, genetic factors, and race or ethnicity.

Modifiable and Unacceptable Health Disparities

Correctable inequities in healthcare delivery, including lack of health insurance, high healthcare costs, lack of transportation, ineffective provider-patient communication, language barriers, and patient mistrust.

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)

Conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.

Five Domains of Social Determinants of Health

The five foundational categories influencing health: Economic Stability, Education Access and Quality, Healthcare Access and Quality, Neighborhood and Built Environment, and Social and Community Context.

Physical Dimension

The human dimension in care planning that encompasses biological components, including genetic inheritance, age, developmental level, race, and biologic sex.

Emotional Dimension

The human dimension that examines how the mind affects body functions and responds to body conditions and stressful circumstances.

Intellectual Dimension

The human dimension involving cognitive abilities, educational background, language skills, and past experiences related to health behaviors.

Environmental Dimension

The human dimension encompassing external conditions such as housing quality, sanitation, climate, and the pollution of air, food, and water.

Sociocultural Dimension

The human dimension in which health beliefs and practices are shaped by an individual's economic status, lifestyle, family dynamics, and cultural background.

Spiritual Dimension

The human dimension involving an individual's spiritual beliefs, values, and religious practices that impact their health behaviors, coping mechanisms, and care preferences.