Race, Ethnicity, Culture, and Health in the United States

Health outcomes in the United States are influenced by multifactorial components. The impact of factors such as race, racism, ethnicity, and culture has been debated throughout history as possible contributors to health outcomes within specific communities. In concordance with this ongoing discussion, these concepts remain urgent and frequently revisited topics among organizations created to serve the general population; however, evidence is still lacking in support of these factors as direct contributors to poor health. In some instances, race, aspects of culture, and ethnicity continue to drive and direct care, treatment, costs, and health care decision-making. Perceptions of these concepts solely or collectively continue to create and foster health inequities and disparities within different population groups in the United States. Until America is able to acknowledge, understand, and correct the inequalities that persist racially, culturally, and socially, the divide between care provided to minorities and to whites will continue to persist.