Race, Education and Health Essay - 3962 Words

It is no coincidence that it is called poor health. What I mean is that the people who have it hardest in this country, those with the lowest incomes, have the worst health. It could just as easily be called minority health, rather than poor health, because the majority of the people living in poverty are racial or ethnic minorities. Many racial minorities in the US suffer from poor health, but not because they have worse genetics, rather from worse educational opportunities. This is a problem of all those in poverty, but since a disproportionate amount of those in poverty are minorities; I am focusing my paper on how to alleviate the educational disparities within the minority population. Studies have shown that education is the ticket†¦show more content†¦Although there are a few â€Å"race related† diseases, such as sickle cell anemia, the illnesses that are killing the minority population are environment related, like Coronary Heart Disease. In a study done by Ala n Goodman, he cites four important points about race and genetics: 1. â€Å"The concept of race is based on the idea of fixed, ideal and unchanging types† †¢ Racial categories date back to the days of ancient empires, and haven’t changed significantly since then, despite the huge changes in cultures since those times. There has obviously been a huge amount of racial mixture since those times, and the concept of race now is just an archaic social construct. 2. â€Å"Human Variation is continuous† †¢ These racial categories are completely arbitrary. There is no way a clear line can be drawn between the races, and all races relate on a gradient today. 3. â€Å"Human Variation is nonconcordant† †¢ What he means by this is that traits vary independently of other traits. Since race only really correlates with skin, hair, and eye color, there is no basis for the claim that certain diseases go along with a certain race. Sickle cell anemia may affect equatorial Africans, but also Greeks and Turks. This shows how the traits vary independently. 4. â€Å"Within Group Variation is much greater than variation among ‘ races’† †¢ There are many studies that show within closely related racial groups, like Hopi Indians, there is only aboutShow MoreRelatedHow Culture Influences Health Of All Individuals1389 Words   |  6 PagesCulture Influences Health in America Culture plays a great role in the health of all individuals. The American race has a vast influence over other cultures that migrate to the United States. Unfortunately, the dietary habits of the average American can lead to an increased health risk and a variety of problems that will further be elaborated on. It is important to remember that health is not just the physical aspect that everyone assumes when they consider the word health. 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