Barriers to Health Equity

Barriers to Health Equity

What the Data Indicates About Infections and Rationale

The CDC data indicates notable disparities in STD infection rates based on age, race, and gender in Florida. Among the age groups, young adults and adolescents consistently exhibit higher infection rates than older populations (CDC, 2021). This suggests that targeted interventions should promote safer sexual behaviors and access to information among younger individuals. Racial and ethnic disparities are evident, with communities of colour, mainly Black and Hispanic populations, experiencing disproportionately higher rates of STD infections. This points to the influence of social determinants of health, systemic discrimination, and barriers to accessing quality healthcare services that contribute to these disparities. Gender-wise, the data might reveal varying infection rates among different genders, emphasizing the need for inclusive and tailored prevention strategies.

Barriers That May Contribute to Disparities in STD Rates and How Rates Compare to Those of the U.S. as a Nation

The inequalities in STD rates in Florida result from several prejudices and obstacles. Lack of culturally competent healthcare services, stigma around addressing sexual health, and limited access to comprehensive sexual education contribute to disparities in STD rates (McBride, 2023). These discrepancies are further exacerbated by prejudice and social determinants of health, including poverty and restricted access to resources. Given its diversified population, significant tourist influx, and particular socioeconomic issues, Florida’s STD rates could be more critical when compared to the U.S. national average. Understanding these variations is essential to creating solutions that target the particular causes of these discrepancies in local and global contexts.

Two Person-Centered Actions to Promote STD Self-Care Management and Opportunities for Interprofessional Collaboration

A nurse practitioner can use person-centred strategies, including culturally appropriate education sessions that give accurate information about STD prevention, transmission, and available services to encourage STD self-care management among marginalized clients. These sessions foster an atmosphere of accessible communication while addressing the queries and worries of the consumers. The nurse practitioner can also work with clients to create individualized prevention programs considering their circumstances and choices. These plans might include routine testing, consistent condom usage, and access to quality medical care. Opportunities for thoroughly addressing STD prevalence discrepancies are presented by interprofessional collaboration (Macias-Konstantopoulos et al., 2023). The nurse practitioner can collaborate with social workers, community health workers, and educators to create community-based treatments that focus on the socioeconomic determinants of health leading to inequities, such as access to education, housing, and employment.

References

CDC. (2021). AtlasPlus – Charts. Cdc.gov. https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/nchhstpatlas/charts.html

Macias-Konstantopoulos, W. L., Collins, K. A., Diaz, R., Duber, H. C., Edwards, C. D., Hsu, A. P., Ranney, M. L., Riviello, R. J., Wettstein, Z. S., & Sachs, C. J. (2023). Race, healthcare, and health disparities: A critical review and recommendations for advancing health equity. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.5811/westjem.58408

McBride, C. T. (2023). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQIA+) health disparities in sexual health and sexual education. ScholarWorks@UARK. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cieduht/33/

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Preparing the Discussion
Follow these guidelines when completing each component of the discussion. Contact your course faculty if you have questions.

General Instructions: Healthy People 2030 goals include reducing sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and their complications and improving access to quality STD care. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (n.d.) estimates that there are more than 20 million new cases of STDs in the U.S. each year. STD rates are disproportionately higher among racial/ethnic minorities, youth, and LGBTQ+ populations, which cannot be fully explained by differences in individual risk behaviour. Other factors, including discrimination, environmental injustice, wealth inequality, and healthcare access barriers may contribute to these disproportionate rates.

View STD data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC,2021) by following these steps.

Access the CDC Atlas PlusLinks to an external site. site.
Select STD from the STEP 1 prompt: What data do you want to see?
Select Charts from the STEP 2 prompt: How do you want to see them?
Access STD chartsLinks to an external site..
Navigate to the left-hand search box titled Select Data
Select STD from the indicator category.
Select the state in which you will practice from the geography category.
Include the following sections: