|
Books in the RHC catalog
The economics of poverty and discrimination
HC110.P6S27 2008
Latina health in the United States : a public health reader
RA778.4.H57L38 2003
Unequal Treatment
RA563.M56U53 2003
Ethnic diseases sourcebook
RA563.M56E838 2001
Culture, religion and childbearing in a multiracial society
RA564.86.S36 1996
Click on the
Subject Headings to find more books
on this topic:
Health care reform
Minorities and health
Minorities--medical care
Transcultural medical care--United States |
RHC databases
to use for researching this topic:
ProQuest
Health Reference Center - Academic
Health & Wellness Center
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Other sources for journal
articles:
Highwire Press
Kaiser Health Disparities Report
ProQuest searches:
If you are viewing this
subject guide from an on-campus computer, simply click on the
links below. To gain access
if you are at home or off-campus,
first click here:
https://rioweb.rh.cc.ca.us/library/. Input your student
ID
number and password [your birthdate]. You will see a list
of all the online databases to which you have access. Click
on
ProQuest and enter the database. You may conduct your own
searches at this point or come back to this subject guide and
click on any of the links below:
Specific
journals to search in ProQuest:
|
|
Glossaries |
|
Center for Health Research Equity and Promotion (CHERP)
Glossary of Terms
This short
glossary will guide you through the major concepts used
in health disparities research. |
Health Promotion Glossary (WHO, 1998)
This glossary
has been assembled to enable as wide an
audience as possible to understand the basic ideas and
concepts which are central to the development of health
promotion strategies and practical action. |
|
A Working Glossary of Terms (Prevention Institute, 2005) |
|
|
Government departments/agencies
involved in addressing health disparities
|
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Office of
Minority Health & Health Disparities (OMHD)
The
mission of the OMHD is to accelerate CDC’s health impact in the
U.S population and to eliminate health disparities for
vulnerable populations as defined by race/ethnicity,
socio-economic status, geography, gender, age, disability
status, risk status related to sex and gender, and among other
populations identified to be at-risk for health disparities. The
web site features an extensive collection of reports and other
publications. In addition, specific racial/ethnic population
"profiles" may be found for all Census-based race categories.
Profiles include detailed health statistics, demographics,
leading causes of death, funding, high-prevalence health issues,
and health disparities. |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - National Center
for Health Statistics (NCHS)
The National
Center for Health Statistics is the premier destination for
large data sets that are used by researchers as well as
pre-packaged sets for the general public. See FastSTATS A-Z
for comprehensive listings for individual diseases and
specific populations. For example, Health of Hispanic/Latino
Population gives vital statistics (births, deaths, etc);
information on specific health risk factors, access to health
care, and many links to other web pages and data sources. In
addition, you can read about Healthy People 2010 - which
is a comprehensive, nationwide health promotion and disease
prevention agenda. 'Healthy People 2010 contains 467 objectives
designed to serve as a framework for improving the health of all
people in the United States during the first decade of the 21st
century.' |
National Institutes of Health - National Center on Minority
Health & Health Disparities (NCMHD)
Yet another government office on minority health, the NIH
National Center on Minority Health & Health Disparities' focus
is on research. Clicking on "Our Programs" will give you links
to the Strategic Research Plan and Budget to Reduce and
Ultimately Eliminate Health Disparities (2000-2006). Volume
II is especially interesting as it contains links to the
official strategies to reduce health disparities from some 27
national institutes and offices. |
Dept. of Health & Human Services - The Office of Minority
Health (OMH)
The web site of the
Office of Minority Health has information on campaigns and
initiatives that are aimed at reducing health disparities. See,
for example, the section on the National Partnership for
Action to End Health Disparities for accessible stories and
"promising practices." By clicking on Health Disparities,
you find links to many of the major governmental reports and
surveys in this field. |
|
Organizations and foundations working to reduce health
disparities
top |
American Medical Association - Eliminating Health Disparities
top
The AMA is the professional organization of the nation's
physicians. The right-hand panel has links to documents and
a
series of web-based videos aimed at assisting physicians to
"examine their own practices" to ensure there is equality in the
medical care they offer their patients. |
Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy
top
Kaiser Permanente is the largest privately organized
health care delivery system in the United States. They conduct
research in a number of issue areas, one of which is racial and
ethnic health disparities. Click on the Library tab for
many policy documents. |
PolicyLink Center for Health and Place
top
While not specifically dedicated to health issues alone,
PolicyLink does have a strong advocacy component in its health
section. Use the Resources link at the top and the
Toolkits and Reports links on the left-hand panel to find
many publications relevant to health disparities. Highly
recommended is the
The Influence of Community Factors
on
Health: An Annotated Bibliography. |
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
top
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation contains a treasure trove of
reports, surveys, articles, and other publications concerned
with disparities in health. The Foundation is devoted
exclusively to improving the health and health care of all
Americans through its grant-making to programs and projects
working to eliminate disparities. Last year (2006) the
Foundation made grants for $10.71 million to programs and
projects working to eliminate health disparities. You should
plan to spend a lot of time on this web site. In addition to the
extensive publications section, there are web casts, news items,
and links to speeches and commentary by RWJF executives. |
|
Henry J
Kaiser Family Foundation
top
See
particularly the News section for recent and ongoing
stories about health disparities in the media. |
The Pew Hispanic Center
top
The Pew Hispanic Center is a nonpartisan research
organization supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Its mission
is to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and
to chronicle Latinos' growing impact on the entire nation - from
the web site. While the Center does not include health as one of
its key subject areas, you will find information on many of the
social factors that correlate with health outcomes, such as
economics, education, labor, and politics. The section on
demography lists many factsheets
and reports that can be used as
background information and context for a health disparities
research paper. |
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
top
The Woodrow
Wilson International Center for Scholars aims to unite the world
of ideas to the world of policy by supporting pre-eminent
scholarship and linking that scholarship to issues of concern to
officials in Washington - from the web site. The Wilson Center
has a program area entitled the Global Health Initiative
which contains links to several relevant topics, such as
Demography/Population Studies and Environmental Health. The
Wilson Quarterly, the journal published by the Center, is
well worth scanning for articles about racial and ethnic groups
and health policy. It is available in full-text from our
ProQuest online database. |
|
California and local organizations/programs
top |
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California
LCHC - the only
statewide organization with a specific emphasis on Latino health
- was founded in 1992 by health care providers, consumers and
advocates to impact Latino health through enhanced information,
policy development
and community involvement - from the web
site. The Coalition produces research and policy briefs that are
concise, timely, and great sources of information for research
papers. See especially under the
Research
tab. |
Latino Health Access
top
This center was
created to assist with the multiple health needs of Latinos in
Orange County. Based in Santa Ana, Latino Health Access uses
participatory approaches to community health education. Latino
Health Access trains community health workers to be leaders of
wellness and change - from the web site. The organization is a
model for the dedication and dynamism of its director and staff,
and its outreach and community programs. |
|
Documents on health
disparities
top |
Issue Brief:
Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
- by Kate Meyers, 2007
This document is an excellent introduction to the issue
of health disparities. It begins with a discussion of the
contested nature of the definition for "health disparities" and
moves on to identify the key findings and implications for
policy (from the point of view of the Kaiser Permanente
Institute for Health Policy). The information presented in the
document covers all aspects of the factors that interact to
inhibit good health and is well cited. There is a wonderful
diagram on p. 6 that shows in visual form the "landscape
of
influences on health disparities and arenas for policy action."
Take some time to absorb this diagram - it makes clear what
would take thousands of words to describe in text! Note the
selected resources at the end of the document; if you liked this
issue brief, you may want to read the full report
and follow up some of the 136 references listed:
http://kpihp.org/publications/docs/disparities.pdf
. |
The
Imperative of Reducing Health Disparities through Prevention:
Challenges, Implications, and Opportunities - by The
Prevention Institute, 2006
The point of this document is to underline the fact that
the majority of health dollars are spent on treatment. "Of the
5% of
health dollars spent on health promotion and disease prevention,
relatively few resources are devoted to prevention initiatives
that address the underlying reasons that people become sick or
injured. Yet, ensuring that resources are directed at the
underlying reasons, at community factors, can improve health and
reduce disparities." The section titled "Emerging Approaches:
Five Ways to Reduce Health Disparities" does give actual
suggestions for specific steps that can be taken to reduce the
causes of health disparities. A lengthy bibliography completes
the report. |
Patterns
and causes in health disparities - by David Williams,
2005
top
This is a chapter in
Policy Challenges in Modern Health Care
published by Rutgers University Press.
Williams is
a professor at
Harvard School of Public Health and his research is concerned
with the social factors that affect health - socioeconomic
status (SES), gender, and even culture. The writing is clear and
not too technical and there is a great bibliography of
references at the end of the chapter. |
Americans'
Views of Disparities in Health Care - A poll
conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation and ICR/International Communications
Research, 2005
top
A major finding of this
survey was that while the majority of Americans know that many
people face serious problems getting quality health care because
of their race or ethnicity, most of the population does not
think that the problem of getting quality
health care is any worse for racial and ethnic minorities than
it is for white Americans. The introduction and overview of the
findings can be read in only a few minutes, with the many tables
and charts rounding out the information. You will probably not
be surprised at the conclusion. |
What is a
'Health Disparity'? - by Olivia Carter-Pokras and
Claudia Baquet, 2002
top
Although this article is dense (and may seem to be
splitting hairs), it does provide a useful figure on p. 430
-431
that lists several definitions of health disparity. The authors
conclude that "What should be agreed upon is
that a disparity
acts like a signpost - indicating that something is
wrong." |
Health
Disparities Fact Sheet
- National Institutes of
Health, 2006
top
This two page fact sheet discusses several examples of
specific diseases that disproportionately affect racial and
ethnic groups - and what the NIH is trying to do about it. |
|
Latino
Health in California - a research brief by the Latino
Coalition for a Healthy California, 2005
top
This 3 page research brief summarizes the main health
facts relating to the Latino population, including
immigrants. |
Key Facts:
Race, Ethnicity & Health Care - by Cara James, Megan
Thomas, and Marsha Lillie-Blanton of the Henry J. Kaiser Family
Foundation, and Rachel Garfield of Harvard University, 2002
top
This 53 page report is completely composed of charts and
graphs that are grouped into the following categories:
demographics, health status, health insurance coverage,
preventive and primary care, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, asthma, and
tracking changes in quality and access disparities. Each chart
and graph is accompanied by a text summary that makes it perfect
for inserting into your research paper or powerpoint
presentation, properly cited. |
|
Online books
top |
|
Unequal Treatment
(2003) Unequal
Treatment is the landmark report commissioned by Congress
and published by the Institute of Medicine. In it a
panel of experts documents the evidence on health disparities
and explores how persons of color experience the health care
environment. You can read this book for free online and it is
also available to check out from the library. |
Emerging Issues in Hispanic Health - Summary of a Workshop
(2002)
This report is a part of the National Academies’ effort to
develop a larger, broad-scale study of Hispanics in the United
States to explore the demographic, economic, and social trends
affecting the Hispanic population in the areas of health,
education, labor, immigration, community development, and
others. |
|
Multimedia
top |
|
Health Status Disparities in the
United States
NO
This is video of a program held at
the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. It opens
in Windows Media Player and consists of two parts. The
participants discuss the socioeconomic, regional, and racial
factors that affect disparities in health. If you cannot view
the videos, the powerpoints used by the speakers are available to
the right of the screen. |
Vulnerable Populations and Health Care:
NO
How Can We Improve?
This event was sponsored by the
journal
Health
Affairs and sought to address this question and others:
What policies can reduce health care disparities? How can
early-life factors such as nutritional and environmental
conditions affect health in subsequent years, and what sorts of
early interventions might best prevent future disease? Also take
a look at the Additional Resources to the right of the
screen. |
Decreasing Racial and Ethnic Health
NO
DisparitiesA
dynamic speaker, Reed Tuckson, MD, addresses the topic of racial
and ethnic health disparities in this video. This event was one
of the U. of Minnesota School of Public Health Roundtable
Series. You can skip the introductions - Dr. Tuckson begins his
talk 9:33 minutes into the video. |
Today's Topics in Health Disparities
NO
This is a series of live,
interactive webcasts devoted to addressing a range of issues
relating to health and health care disparities in the United
States. Each discussion features a panel of experts tackling
current issues in health disparities and answering questions
from webcast viewers. From the Kaiser Family Foundation. |
The Latino mortality paradox revisited: Is 
acculturation bad for your health?
This is a PowerPoint presentation
that is somewhat technical but you should be able to glean some
of the ideas from the slides. You can learn more about this
topic by searching for "Latino OR Hispanic paradox" in an online
database. |
Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities:
an overview
This PowerPoint presentation
outlines the functions and goals of the OMHD. It will give you a
good idea about what is being done on the national level to
address health disparities. |
Targeting Early Life to Make the Nation
O
Healthy Again: Evolution, Health, and Disease
This is an audio presentation with
slides by Dr. Stephen Bezruchka from the School of Public Health
and Community Medicine at the University of Washington. He talks
about how the United States stacks up in terms of life
expectancy and other public health measures. See also Dr.
Bezruchka's web site
here. |
Racism and Health: Needed Contributions O
by Social and Biological Scientists
Dr. David Williams, then at the
University of Michigan in 2005, gives an eye-opening talk about
the disparities suffered by African Americans, in particular. If
you have never heard or read about these statistics before, you
will be shocked.
|
Unnatural Causes: is
inequality making us sick?NO
This web site contains a preview
video clip of the DVD that will be released in March of 2008.
The library will be purchasing the series, but until then, have
a look around the web site; take the Health Equity Quiz,
download the "Ways To Take Action" document; think about whether
you would like to get involved with the Public Impact Campaign. |
Race, Ethnicity & Health Care
O
Presented by Cara James, a senior
policy analyst for the Kaiser Family Foundation, this is an
audio lecture with slides that shows many of the indicators of
health disparities between non-Hispanic whites and minorities.
You can pause on each slide to really take in the information
and also read the transcript. As with many other presentations,
this one finds that unequal access to health care is a major
cause of health disparities, rather than the poor economic and
social conditions in which many minorities live. |
|
Bibliographies/Subject Guides
top |
|
Health Disparities
Bibliographies
(2004)
From the Center for Health Disparities Research and Training,
San Francisco State University. |
HEALTH FOR ALL: Eliminating California’s Racial & Ethnic Health
Disparities (2003)
References start on p.19, but the
whole report is worth reading. |
|
Knowledge Path: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health
(2005)
Outstanding subject guide from
the Maternal and Child Health (MCH)
Library at Georgetown University. |
Health Disparities: A Selected Bibliography (2005)
This is a web-based bibliography from the National Center
for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of the CDC of citations to journal
articles that can be found in PubMed, a service of the US
National Library of Medicine. Most of the citations have free
abstracts, and Rio Hondo College librarians can help you find
the full-text of the articles. |
|
Global Health Bibliography (2007)
From the Global Health Education
Consortium. See particularly the citations under the "Ethical
and Equity Issues" section. |
The Right to Equal Treatment (2003)
Published by Physicians for Human
Rights, this is an annotated list of peer-reviewed articles
about racial and ethnic disparities in medical care. |
