The Effects of Income on the Mortality Rate in the USA - Research Paper Example

?The effects of income on the mortality rate in the United s The effects of income on the mortality rate in the United States It is well acknowledged that individuals and countries with higher incomes have lower mortality rates. Similarly, some events such as droughts, heat waves, and cold spells have non-negligible effects on mortality rates. Given that, the increasing disparities between social classes, higher mortality rates among low class Americans has been ascribed to low income, lack of basic education, and proper medical attention. Thus, this paper will investigate how incomes affect the mortality rates within United States. Based on researches that have been conducted over the issue, mortality rates among poor U. S citizens is attributable to less medical services, poor living, and working conditions, and limited educational facilities. United state records higher mortality rates among the poor population. It is argued that wealthy citizens with adequate educational background have longer life span as opposed to poor Americans with less education (LeViest, 2005). Based on the survey conducted by the national Longitudinal Mortality and in conjunction with other surveys, a higher life expectance was recorded among people whose income was greater than $ 50000 (Aber et al, 1997). Similarly, the research showed that households with income less than $5000 had life expectance that was 25 percent less than those of high-income earners were. Therefore, socioeconomic positive indicators are attributed to morbidity and lower mortality rates in the United States. Studies have shown that mortality rates among African-Americans is much high but lower among the Hispanic-Americans in relation to the white population. It is postulated that health is dictated by the socioeconomic status of the population in question. Other exotic factors contribute to the identified mortality rates apart from education, income, and wealth, exotic indicators. Assessment of gravestones exemplifies social differences among Americans. Larger gravestones displayed longer life spans as opposed to those of poor people. Therefore, the more the number of poor exists in United States of America the higher the mortality rates (Shi & Stevens, 2010). America has been regarded for its advanced emergency care system rather than the finest health care system. This has been exemplified by summoning of Star Wars-type technologies to attend to critically ill or seriously injured patients. The preventive healthcare system still reflects the Stone Age approach (Barr, 2008). Nevertheless, outside factors have been identified as the contributors to health position of Americans. An overview of life expectancy in Europe over the last century shows that it had doubled due to improvement of the sanitary and drinking water system. Nonetheless, over the same period, United State has recorded highest rates of cancer cases in areas surrounding chemical industries. Therefore, it is worth noting that better health is achieved through implementation of practices such as exercise and healthy diet rather than medicines. In regards to this realization, factors outside the healthcare system have usurped the most preconceived factors within the system. Thus, poverty has been ascribed as a major factor towards mortality rates within America (Aber et al, 1997). Several surveys have linked poverty to poor health services. Based on a review of these studies, it is noted that chances of an individual staying alive are influenced by his or her social class position. The difference in mortality rates among upper classes is due to effects of hazardous and toxic physical within the lower classes. In addition, it is attributable to accessibility to inadequate medical services. Rather than absolute poverty, studies conducted by Berkeley and Harvard have shown that inequality income among these classes is an important factor. According to this study, areas with the highest income inequality levels pose higher morbidity and mortality rates. Due to opportunities and prices, poverty matters are relative in the health care system. Though united state has the best medical technology in the world, the ten thousand dollar medical bill procedures is beyond means of lower class people (Barr, 2008). Poverty has several detrimental factors to health living among poor Americans. It leads to poor nutritional diet, less accessibility to fresh air during summer season. Similarly, it causes people to lack proper heating systems during winter seasons (Shi & Stevens, 2010). Moreover, individuals with low income have less knowledge about medicine and illnesses. Higher mortality rates have been identified to be caused by lesser dental, preventive care, and dental care attention among the lower class individuals. Poor people lack access to quality medical attention due to limited resources. Furthermore, lower class individuals live and work in strenuous, hazardous, and polluted environments. Due too this deprivations, growth and development among infants is usually hard. Just like Europe, United States health system has tried to combat the menace by offering universal postnatal and prenatal healthcare services though its level of poverty surpasses that felt with Europe. According to economists, the mortality rates in the U.S are attributable to education. It is believed that educated individuals are in a better position to make use of available health information due to their level of comprehension. Moreover, they are better placed in terms of accessibility to quality health systems (Barr, 2008). In addition, a thorough analysis by the economists has shown that poor people are prone to engage in risky activities that reduces their lifespan. These activities include lack of exercise, binge drinking, and smoking. A correlation of the level of income to rates of mortality in this case encompasses factors such as labour, education, and discount rates. According to epidemiologists, the explanation leveled by economists offers a partial explanation on the social gradient (Shi & Stevens, 2010). In essence, health is governed by the socioeconomic standing of an individual. Though they present measures aimed at improving health systems in a region, they are notable for their role in redistributing or increasing incomes among its subjects. In regards to Richard Wilkinson, public health is governed by fiscal policy whereby inequality in income acquisition is a health hazards just like toxic radiations or air pollution. Despite the absence of direct relationship between economic policy and health, the existence of a positive correlation between economic status and health is a basic indicator of great influence brought about by social inequalities. Evaluation of mortality rates in relation to level of income among U.S citizens encompasses inclusion of education (Barr, 2008). This is because an individual’s income determines their perception towards health matters. High mortality rates observed in American among poor people is ascribed to the flattening of the relationship between health and income among these individuals, these is based on the interdependence of a person income with others. According to studies conducted mortality rates elasticity was approximated at -0.5 with respect to income (Harrington, 1997). Consistence of these results with those presented by National Longitudinal Mortality affirms the high protective nature of income against mortality in different age groups. The studies usually evaluate the likelihood of death over a specified period in order to eliminate or at least reduce the prospects of including in the study sample individuals who are already sick. This is because their income is already abridged by the sickness that later terminate their lives. To some extent surprisingly, there study shows a small diminution in the estimated defensive effects of revenue as death interval is moved forward from the moment of interview. Moreover, poverty causes most people to resort to their families for sources of labor. Thus, a rational calculus is established when poor people embrace the notion of larger families is viewed as a defensive mechanism against enforced poverty. In areas of meager survival, labor services are offered by rendered by children. Due to this notion, poor people embrace larger families despite their inability to meet demands for a quality life in terms of health services (Aber et al, 1997). In conclusion, United States rates of mortality are attributable to factors outside its advanced healthcare system. Despite the presence of advanced technologies, the costs of meeting medical services are beyond the income sustainability of lower class citizens. It is due to these levels of death rates that leads to the assumption that the more people become poorer the higher the mortality rates. States with the highest level of income inequality have the highest records of mortality. Mortality rates among poor citizens is attributable to less medical services, poor living and working conditions, and limited educational facilities. In order to solve this problem, research efforts within healthcare systems should be based on mechanisms that link the economic and social disparities. Planning for child health and maternal programs should assess low income among poor citizens in addition to behavioral and social characteristics such as ethnicity or race, low maternal education, smoking during pregnancy, and adolescent childbearing. If the government of US adopts these measures, it will be able to solve the problem of mortality rate among low-income earner in the next ten years. References Aber, J. L., Bennett, N. G., Conley, D. C., & Li, J. (1997). The effects of poverty on child health and development. Annual Reviews Inc, 18, 463-483. Barr, D. A. (2008). Health disparities in the United States: Social class, race, ethnicity, and health. New York, NY: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Harrington, M. (1997). The other America: Poverty in the United States. New York, NY: Scriber. LeViest, T. (2005). Minority populations and health: An introduction to health disparities in the US. New York, NY: Jossey-Bass. Shi, L & Stevens, G. D. (2010). Vulnerable populations in the United States. New York, NY: Jossey-Bass. Read More