Discuss three points explaining the relationship between social class, race, and health in the United States.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Correct answers vary but could include that there are great inequalities in the American health care system. There is a largely constant relationship--the "health inequalities invariance"--between social class and health. That is, the lower one's social class, the poorer one's health is likely to be. There are many causes for social class differences in health. First, the conditions in which children live matter a great deal, since early differences may have long-lasting health consequences. Thus, living in poverty or in a broken home can contribute to ill health in childhood and therefore later in life. Other points that could be discussed are smoking, illegal drug use, poor exercise, excessive drinking, and poor eating habits. The relationship between race and health is closely related to that between social class and health: Whites are more likely to be in the middle and upper classes, while blacks and Hispanics are disproportionately in the lower classes. Blacks are also more likely to be poorly treated, or even mistreated, by the health care system. Working-class and lower-middle-class blacks are more likely to be relegated to poor neighborhoods and conditions that adversely affect their health.