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Technology has enabled the expansion of medicine
and has improved the overall health of the
global population. However, not all people
have the same access to quality health care
Inequalities in health include differences
in rates of disease, health outcomes, and access
to health care.
Often, inequalities in health are the result of
social inequalities.
Differences in socioeconomic and environmental
factors may present barriers to entering the
health care system, resulting in varying
degrees of quality care.
It has been shown that wealth is correlated
with longevity, indicating a link between
socioeconomic status, and mortality.
In the nineteenth century, risk factors that
accounted for inequality in health outcomes
included overcrowding, poor sanitation, and
availability of local treatment facilities.
These risk factors have all but disappeared
in the industrialized world.
So why do disparities in health care still
exist? Although, modern hospitals and treatment
centers are now widespread across the developed
world, not everyone can afford treatment.
Compounding this issue, detrimental behaviors
such as poor diet, inadequate exercise, and
smoking are higher in populations with lower
socioeconomic status.
Furthermore, people of high socioeconomic
status generally have better continuity of
care, fewer costs of complying with treatment
regimens, and more knowledge about their care.
For example, women with higher income and
education levels tend to have better health
insurance, increased awareness, and the ability
to take time to regularly visit their doctor,
and so receive more screenings for cervical
and breast cancer.
In addition to socioeconomic status, race,
ethnicity, gender, mental-illness, and disability
are also major factors contributing to
inequalities in health.
Understanding why inequalities have persisted
despite significant advancements in health
care is an important step forward in reducing
health care inequalities.
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