Health Disparities

The determinants of health are the various factors that impact the risk of developing a disease. The determinants are divided into two. The first class of the determinants is concerned with the individual and family characteristics while the second category is concerned with the community aspects, which include the social and physical environment in which the individual lives. The paper identifies the different types of the determinants of health and the sensitive cultural approaches to the nursing care for the disparities at the community and family/individual level. The examples of the family/individual determinate are biology/genetics, such as sex and age of the person, family beliefs, and individual behaviors, such as smoking and unprotected sex. In contrast, the community determinants include the physical hazards like sidewalks and exposure to crimes and violence.

Health Disparities
Individual/Family Determinants of Health
Individual and family determinants relate to the individual features of people and family issues, which assist in finding out the medical care they attain. It includes the characteristics such as genetics and biology like age and sex of the person, family customs and beliefs, individual behaviors, such as the use of injection drug, alcohol use, smoking and unprotected sex (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2015). For example, the alcohol affects the health of the abuser and determines the types of drugs he or she will use. Furthermore, alcohol use impacts the types of diseases that will affect the individual and the medical services that will be administered to him or her.

The individual behavior and survival skills, such as drinking, smoking, balanced diet, exercise, and the way people deal with the challenges and stresses in their lives all impact health (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2015). On the other hand, age and sex also lead to diseases that require different and unique drugs to treat. Some diseases are associated only with the male while others affect only the female population. The diseases also come at different ages of the lives of men and women. Concerning genetics and biology, inheritance serves a percentage in determining healthiness, lifespan, and the possibility of acquiring certain diseases. Again, the social support connections, including the support from friends, families, and societies, are associated with better health (Spector, 2012). Besides, the traditions, beliefs, and customs of the family impact the health of the people.
Community Determinants of Health
The community determinants of health include the social and physical environment factors that help determine the health of a person. The social determinants relate to the access to medical care services, access to economic, educational, and employment opportunities, availability of resources to fulfill day-to-day requirements and need like food markets and safe accommodation, social and income status, exposure to crime, social disorder, and violence like the absence of collaboration in a society or community, and residential segregation (Spector, 2012). For instance, a higher social and income status are associated with better health. When the margin between the rich and poor is big, there will be significant disparities in health (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2015). Moreover, low educational levels are associated with poor health, lower self-assurance, and increased stress. What is more, the access and utilization of the medical care services that deter or control diseases affect health.
On the other hand, the physical determinants include the natural setting in which people live, including climate change, construction sites and built places, such as roads and sidewalks, and buildings, aesthetics components, like benches and trees, and exposure to contaminated materials and physical hazards (Spector, 2012). For instance, the individuals working in the construction sites are exposed to the physical hazards which impact their health.
Culturally Sensitive Approaches
For both the individual/family and community levels, the nursing care for the disparities can be enhanced through the empowerment of the patients and adoption of the patient-centered approaches. The community and patient empowerment should be conducted to ensure that low-status and high-income status people are supported to utilize the health care services (Spector, 2012). Besides, the patient-centered approach will ensure that the nursing care identifies the individual needs and cultural aspects that will help improve the patients’ health outcomes (Spector, 2012). Through these approaches, the disparities of the individual/family and community levels, including the social factors affecting health and individual behaviors like alcohol addiction, can be determined and appropriate strategies formulated to help deal with the health impacts resulting from the factors.

References
Spector, R. E. (2012). Cultural Diversity and Illness (8th Ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2015). Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Health Carein the Community. Elsevier Health Sciences.