Using Demographic Data in Health Care - Essay Example

? Using Demographic Data to Examine Health Disparities Using Demographic Data to Examine Health Disparities Demographic data are an essential tool for researchers and policy makers alike in making accurate representations of the trends that can e observed in the medical and other service fields. Accurate reading of these data can lead to the identification of areas for mitigation and areas that are already functioning. Disparities among races and ethnicities with regards to health services and access can better be addressed with the use of accurate and verified demographic data from government institutions. It is imperative for every decision, law, and policy that will impact health care be backed by hard data for better design and evaluation of results. Key words: Racial disparities, health policy makers, demographic data Using Demographic Data to Examine Health Disparities One of the best and most reliable sources of information that health policy makers have at their disposal are the demographic data that are collected and presented in government initiated surveys. One of the trends that can be observed in these data sets is the differences in access or quality of healthcare services that are available to members of different races. The US being a democratic country upholds the right of each of its citizens regardless of race. Carefully examining demographic data will ensure that necessary reforms can be made by healthcare policy-makers so as to better address the concerns and needs of all citizens especially those that are considered to be in the racial minority like the Hispanics. There are certain aspects wherein the differences in access and quality of healthcare between the different races can explicitly be seen: the incidence and prevalence of HIV/AIDS, the leading cause of death, and the neonatal and post-neonatal mortality rates. Close examination of the data from National and local government sponsored surveys will help health policy-makers make better decisions and laws with regards to provisions in healthcare for racial and cultural minorities. If the rates of discrepancies in healthcare access and quality between races will decrease, only then we can really declare that the US is a free country where true democracy and equality is achieved. I. A Comparison of the Incidence and Prevalence Rates of HIV/AIDS among Hispanics and the Whole United States “The incidence is the number of new HIV infections that occur during a given year” according to the report given by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011). Figure no. 1 illustrates the difference in the incidence rates per 100,000 persons. The annual incidence rate of AIDS (per 100,000 people) among the U.S. population in 2009 is 15.74; while the annual incidence rate of AIDS (per 100,000 people) among Hispanics/Latinos is 2009 are 20.13. There is a significant statistical difference between the two rates which means there is a significant statistical disparity between the incidences rates of HIV/AIDS for Hispanic/ Latino compared to national values. Figure 1. A comparison of the incidence rates per 100,000 populations between the Hispanic/Latinos and the total US population. Rates computed as per 2006-2008 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates and CDC HIV Surveillance Report: Diagnoses of HIV infection and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas (2009). Error bars set at 5% statistical significance. Figure 2 describes, on the other hand, the prevalence of the HIV/AIDS. According to the same report, “prevalence is the number of people living with HIV infection at a given time, such as at the end of a given year” (CDC, 2011). The prevalence rate of AIDS (per 100,000 people) among the U.S. population based on data received through 2009 is 357.81, while the rates for Hispanic/ Latinos are 400.54. Although there is an observable disparity between the two rates, when analyzed statistically with error set at 5%, we can see that there is no statistical difference between the two. Figure 2. A comparison of the prevalence rate per 100,000 between Hispanics/ Latinos and the total US population. Rates computed based on the 2006-2008 American Community Survey 3-year Estimates and CDC HIV Surveillance Report: Diagnoses of HIV infection and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas (2009). The implication of the difference with regards to the incidence and prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS among Hispanics/ Latinos compared to national values are the following. The incidence rates are statistically different which means there are more Hispanics/ Latinos that get infected per year compared to the average rate of infection of the United States. Policies and programs should be more targeted to prevent or reduce the number of new infections o at risk racial groups like the Hispanics. The policy makers should congratulate themselves because there is no statistical difference between the prevalence rates of Hispanic compared to that of national values. This means that there is no significant disparity between the types of care that Hispanics/Latinos get in order to prolong their lives after being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. But the health policy makers should continue their efforts and try to mitigate even the small difference left in the prevalence rates. The spread and survivability of AIDS according to a figure released by CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/images/infections-lg.jpg) indicates that the infection rate in whites are decreasing but for racial minorities like black Americans and Hispanics, the trends on the spread of the disease is increasing. Whites are also more likely to survive longer after being diagnosed compared to their racial minority counterparts. Policies that target racial minorities should be given importance so as to equalize the rate of spread nationally and so that each person, regardless of race will be able to get the treatment that they need to live a better quality life. II. An Examination of the Leading Cause of Death Among Different Races The leading cause of death is indicators of the particular environment and health care access that a particular racial group receives. Diseases of heart can be in-born or due to lifestyle, and with the relative abundance of less nutritious food in the market, it is no wonder that heart diseases is the leading cause of death among the people of the US regardless of race. Malignant neoplasms are also common as the 2nd leading cause of death regardless of race. The likelihood of having malignant neoplasms is dependent on genes as well as lifestyle. The genetic propensity of people to these diseases can be determined through tests and there are ways to make sure that the likelihood of having such diseases will be lowered through the adaptation of healthier lifestyle choices. The third leading cause of disease is where the different ethnicities diverge. Accidents are the 3rd leading for Hispanics. For non-Hispanics and Non-Hispanic Blacks, cardiovascular disease is in that spot. For non-Hispanic Whites, it is chronic lower respiratory diseases. Dying of accidents may be because of the common nature of the work available to the Hispanics (mostly blue collar jobs) where accidents are commonplace and may also indicate that Hispanics don’t have that much access to healthcare providers because accidents can be remedied if treated with urgency. Cardio-vascular diseases are more lifestyle dependent so for non-Hispanics and non-Hispanic Blacks, lifestyle changes will greatly affect their mortality rates for the better. Chronic lower respiratory diseases are often caused by poor lifestyle choices and engaging in vices, especially smoking as well as being exposed to too much urban pollution. With regards to this information, preventive health policies should focus on promoting healthy lifestyle choices because a lot of diseases can be prevented when people engage in healthy lifestyles. Age-adjusted mortality rate should be used instead of a standard mortality rate when there is a big disparity in the reproduction rate of a particular ethnic group compared to another. Certain diseases are more expressed during childhood and adolescence while certain diseases are more common for the elderly. Age adjustments would level the ground for accurate comparison among different ethnic groups but the difference in the median age of a population should be noted because there are differences in how health care should be provided with the difference in age of the population. III. Differences in the Neonatal and Post-Neonatal Mortality Rates Between Races Once an individual reaches adolescence then their likelihood of dying is lessened dramatically, however, infants and newborns are the most likely to be affected by diseases and other circumstances that can lead to their death. Examining the neonatal and post-neonatal mortality rates can shed light into the availability of health care institutions and services for the particular ethnic group. According to the US Dept of Health and Human Services Evidence of Trends, Risk Factors, and Intervention Strategies published 2006, the infant mortality rate has dropped significantly from 26 infants for every 1000 live births to just about 6.9 infants in 2000. If we break these rates down to ethnicities, there is an observable disparity between the different racial/ ethnic groups. In 2002, Non-Hispanic whites have infant, neonatal, and post-neonatal mortality rates per 1000 live births at 5.8, 3.9, and 1.9, respectively, Hispanics/ Latinos have 5.6, 3.8, and1.8 respectively, non-Hispanic blacks have 13.9, 9.3, and 4.6 respectively while Asians/ Pacific Islanders have 4.8, 3.4, and 1.4 respectively. The national rates are as follows: infant 7.0 neonatal 4.7, and post-neonatal at 2.3. Comparing the rates, we can ascertain that among the different ethnic groups, the non-Hispanic Blacks are the most in need for intervention with regards to infant, neonatal, and post-neonatal care to prevent such high mortality rates. Cultural differences should also be noted because that might make the difference on why there is such a high infant mortality rate for non-Hispanic Blacks compared to the other races. Access to medical services, educational attainment of the mother, and socio-economic determinants should also be taken into consideration with regards to infant, neonatal and post-neonatal mortality rates. The better the quality of life or the more privileged the mother, the higher the likelihood of survival for the infant. In conclusion, demographic data can really be a good tool for health policy makers to make appropriate and timely decisions with regards to making laws and policies that can affect the access of different cultural/ ethnical groups to medical and health services. Decisions backed by hard data can be monitored for efficiency and timely response can be done when monitoring shows that the mitigation efforts are not that effective. Surveys made by government institutions are more accurate and give researchers as well as policy makers more options in interpreting demographic data to suit their needs. These data are also better analyzed statistically so as to better reflect the true trends for the whole population. Equality can be achieved with consistent monitoring and accurate data collection. Better methods of data collection make it possible to paint a better picture of how disparities affect the different racial and ethnic groups. Addressing the concerns of each of the racial/ ethnic groups will cater to a better expression of the freedom that our country stands for. It is then imperative that each decision especially with regards to health care and health services be backed by solid data. References United States Census Bureau. 2010. 2006-2008 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates. http://www.census.gov/acs U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.2006. Evidence of Trends, Risk Factors, and Intervention Strategies. Health Resources and Services Administration Maternal and Child Health Bureau. p.9-14 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2011. HIV Surveillance by Race/Ethnicity. Power point slides. http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/surveillance/     Read More