Dr. Nancy Krieger presents the scientific analysis of ethnic health inequities through biological racism expression; her research study is concentrated on the promotion of racial discrimination and its role in health status influenced by unfair societal conditions. She argues that ethnic inequities and health status are getting biologically embodied issues through life-course; the central factors impacting this phenomenon include social and economic deprivation, social trauma, harmful commodities marketing, and inadequate medical care.
The analysis of economic and racial injustice through methodological and conceptual issues developed by Dr. Krieger demonstrated the real causes for the promotion of health inequities. The central aspect is to be focused on the identification of racism’s harmful impact on health. The author’s works underlined the stress on unnatural causes for diseases promotion; the ethical part of social life is considered to be the key element in human biological state maintenance. It is necessary to state, that racial discrimination, as well as various global problems of ethical instability in modern society, lead to ‘human sicknesses’ resulting from unnatural factors. It is important to concentrate on the issues connected with economic deprivation and its influence on human health; the depth of the problem lies in our understanding of ethical values significance, and its transference from social aspect into biological one.
Dr. Krieger managed to highlight the interconnection between racism and health, speaking of racial inequities as the general phenomenon uniting all ethical problems of modern society. One of the most effective ways out is based on attempts to take measures aimed at improvement of social life conditions, impacting on structural discrimination within social groups. (Krieger, 2008).
Ethical and social factors are considered to be important elements in the public health sphere; Dr. Krieger strived to underline the causes for gradual public health weakening created by people themselves. It is necessary to underline the idea that social pressure, to be more exact the problems of economic instability and class or racial inequalities, provide a direct impact on public health worsening.
The research conducted in the sphere of public health demonstrated a close connection between economic instability and health weakening. It should be stressed, that the current financial instability, caused by the global economic crisis in 2008, directly influenced the fluctuations in public health statistics leading to the raise of depressions and moral breakages among the population of middle age. The rise of moral inequities observed throughout the world is considered to be the central stimulator for medical treatment development; most problems in public health are caused by morality differences between the people of various social classes and ethnic origins. (Krieger, 2008)
It is necessary to top stress that nowadays all the people experience the interaction between public health and internal factors, such as moral pressure and instability. It is proved that socioeconomic groups having lower positions are under high threat of having gastrointestinal disease, breast cancer, and respiratory disease. All these factors speak of the financial aspect significance and role of social position in an individual’s health history development. The problem is to be solved through the breakage of social and ethical inequities barrier; a clear understanding of the link between people’s social formation and health aspect is the way to social improvement and public health stabilization.
References
Krieger, N. (2008). The science and epidemiology of racism and health in the United States: An ecosocial perspective. Webcast from the 29th Annual Minority Health Conference, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Web.
Krieger, N., Rehkopf, D., Chen, J., Waterman, P., Marcelli, E., & Kennedy, M. (2008). The fall and rise of U.S. inequities in premature mortality: 1960–2002. PLosMedicine, 5(2), 227–241.