Health Indicator Report of Healthcare discrimination
Many people in the United States don?t get the health care services they need. This can be for a number of reasons, including, lack of health insurance, they don?t have a primary care provider, or live too far away from healthcare providers. Other reasons can include perceived discrimination while accessing healthcare in the past.
Research studies have shown that general experiences with racial/ethnic discrimination are associated with a variety of adverse health outcomes including higher mortality; lower use of cancer screening; elevated blood pressure; higher levels of C-reactive protein; substance use; mental and physical health including mood, anxiety, and psychiatric disorders; increased depressive symptoms; weight gain; high body mass index; and smoking
Interventions to increase access to health care professionals and education about discrimination can help more people get the care they need.
Percentage of adults who reported healthcare discrimination by reason type, Utah 2021
Data Source
Utah Department of Health and Human Services Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) [https://ibis.health.utah.gov/ibisph-view/query/selection/brfss/BRFSSSelection.html]Definition
Percentage of Utah adults (18+) reporting feeling discriminated against in Utah healthcare in the past 2 yearsNumerator
Number of adults reporting healthcare discrimination, number of responses for each reason of discrimination, and number of people delaying any type of healthcare as a result of healthcare discriminationDenominator
Number of adults who took the survey, number of responses for each discrimination reason type question, number of adults reporting healthcare discriminiation.Healthy People Objective AHS-5:
Increase the proportion of persons who have a specific source of ongoing careU.S. Target: Not applicable, see subobjectives in this category
What Is Being Done?
In 2021, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services Healthy Environments Active Living (HEAL) program contracted with 4 community-based organizations (CBOs) to develop and administer a survey to identify the effects of discrimination in healthcare access among Black/African American and American Indian/Alaska Native populations in Utah. Organizations included Best of Africa, International Rescue Committee ? Salt Lake City, Utah Muslim Civic League, and Utah State University ? Blanding. The survey asked about demographics, social determinants of health, healthcare access, discrimination, and chronic diseases. [https://heal.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Healthcare-Access-Survey-Report-FINAL_032023.pdf You can access the full report here.]Health Program Information
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy Environments Active Living program plays a key role in improving the health of residents in the state of Utah. The program was formed in July 2013 (as EPICC), through a new funding opportunity from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that allowed for the merging of three previously existing programs: the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program, the Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, and the Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Program, as well as the addition of a school health program. The Healthy Environments Active Living Program (HEAL) was recently restructured as part of this strategic planning process and the new program model focuses on working together with staff and partners to address the social determinants of health while advancing health equity and increasing policy, systems and environment changes. HEAL champions public health initiatives and addresses the challenges of making health awareness and access truly universal and equitable in eight key areas: nutrition, heart health, diabetes, physical activity, schools, child care, community health workers, and worksites. Visit [https://heal.health.utah.gov/ HEAL's website] for more information.
Page Content Updated On 06/14/2023,
Published on 06/14/2023