Education Concerning the Complex Nature of Diversity and Inclusion Through an Exploration of Health Disparities

Problem Statement

Health disparities, systemic racism, health literacy, and misinformation continued to be significant problems in the U. S and were amplified even more by the current COVID-19 pandemic (Springs, 2021; Springs, et al,.2022). "Social determinants of health (SDoH) such as economic stability, neighborhood and built environment, healthcare, social and community context, and education" (Shurney & Webb, 2022) directly contribute to this ongoing crisis and continue to be a systemic problem in the U.S. A study conducted by 22 primary care clinics uncovered that income, education, race, ethnicity, and gender identification, were directly associated with 25% to 50% of health differences and patient outcomes for individuals with diabetes and hypertension (Liu et al.,2019). Similar to the disparities in COVID-19 infections and mortality rates, disparities are also seen in vaccination rates. For instance, African Americans represent 12.4% of the U.S. population, but only 9.3% are fully immunized. Hispanics account for 17.2% of the population, but only 16.1% entirely are immunized. (Porter et al., 2022).