Health Disparities – Core Concepts
What are health disparities?
A. Differences in healthcare technology
B. Differences in personal health habits
C. Differences in the incidence, prevalence, and outcomes of disease among specific population groups
D. Differences in hospital size
C. Differences in the incidence, prevalence, and outcomes of disease among specific population groups
Health disparities refer to unequal disease burden and outcomes, not individual habits or technology alone.
Which group has historically had the highest uninsured rates in the U.S.?
A. White (non-Hispanic)
B. Asian
C. Hispanic/Latino individuals
D. Children
C. Hispanic/Latino individuals
Hispanic/Latino populations consistently show the highest uninsured rates due to income, employment, and policy barriers.
Which of the following is considered a financial barrier to healthcare access?
A. Language differences
B. Cultural beliefs
C. Lack of health insurance
D. Transportation distance
C. Lack of health insurance
Financial barriers directly affect the ability to pay for care and services.
Interpreter services help reduce health disparities primarily by:
A. Reducing healthcare costs
B. Increasing provider salaries
C. Improving communication between patients and providers
D. Expanding hospital facilities
C. Improving communication between patients and providers
Clear communication improves diagnosis, adherence, and patient understanding.
Patients experiencing cultural or language barriers are more likely to:
A. Seek care earlier
B. Receive better outcomes
C. Delay or avoid seeking care
D. Use preventive services
C. Delay or avoid seeking care
Barriers discourage timely care and follow-up.
Health disparities can occur based on which of the following factors?
A. Only race and ethnicity
B. Only income level
C. Only geographic location
D. Gender, race, ethnicity, income, education, disability, and location
D. Gender, race, ethnicity, income, education, disability, and location
Disparities are multi-factorial and occur across multiple demographic characteristics.
Poverty is best defined as:
A. Lack of health insurance
B. Family income below a specified federal threshold
C. Unemployment
D. Low educational attainment
B. Family income below a specified federal threshold
Poverty is a federal income-based classification, not insurance or employment status alone.
Structural barriers primarily involve:
A. Patient motivation
B. Provider bias
C. Availability and accessibility of healthcare facilities and providers
D. Insurance literacy
C. Availability and accessibility of healthcare facilities and providers
Structural barriers limit access through geography, transportation, and provider shortages.
Why is recruiting and retaining healthcare providers of color important?
A. It increases insurance coverage
B. It eliminates all disparities
C. It enhances shared cultural understanding and trust
D. It reduces training costs
C. It enhances shared cultural understanding and trust
Shared cultural understanding improves rapport and reduces miscommunication.
Why might patients prefer traditional healers over conventional care?
A. Lower cost only
B. Better technology
C. Cultural trust and belief alignment
D. Faster appointments
C. Cultural trust and belief alignment
Cultural familiarity and trust strongly influence care choices.
Why are changing U.S. demographics important when discussing health disparities?
A. They eliminate disparities
B. They can worsen existing disparities if not addressed
C. They reduce healthcare demand
D. They standardize access to care
B. They can worsen existing disparities if not addressed
Population growth and diversity can increase strain on systems and magnify disparities without targeted solutions.
Why is poverty strongly linked to health disparities?
A. Poor individuals use healthcare more
B. Poverty eliminates access to hospitals
C. Poverty is associated with limited access, delayed care, and worse outcomes
D. Poverty affects only adults
C. Poverty is associated with limited access, delayed care, and worse outcomes
Poverty affects prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term outcomes across the lifespan.
Personal barriers to healthcare may include:
A. Facility shortages
B. Insurance denial
C. Workforce diversity
D. Cultural beliefs, language, and concerns about discrimination
D. Cultural beliefs, language, and concerns about discrimination
Personal barriers influence willingness and comfort in seeking care.
Cultural competence training is most effective when it:
A. Is optional
B. Focuses only on policy
C. Is limited to students
D. Is integrated into education and continuing professional training
D. Is integrated into education and continuing professional training
Ongoing training supports behavior change across a provider’s career.
Why should healthcare providers discuss traditional healer use with patients?
A. To discourage traditional practices
B. To replace medical care
C. To document noncompliance
D. To foster trust and coordinate safe care
D. To foster trust and coordinate safe care
Open discussion improves safety and therapeutic relationships.
Which population trend has contributed significantly to demographic change in the U.S.?
A. Decrease in immigration
B. Decline in minority populations
C. Growth of racial and ethnic minority populations
D. Reduced life expectancy
C. Growth of racial and ethnic minority populations
Minority population growth has been a major driver of demographic change.
Which region of the U.S. has historically had higher poverty rates?
A. Northeast
B. Midwest
C. South
D. Pacific Northwest
C. South
Southern states consistently show higher poverty prevalence.
Which group of barriers most directly affects provider-patient communication?
A. Financial
B. Structural
C. Personal
D. Administrative
C. Personal
Language and cultural differences directly influence communication quality.
Which of the following is NOT a recommended strategy for reducing health disparities?
A. Use of community health workers
B. Culturally competent health promotion
C. Cultural competence training
D. Limiting access to traditional healers
D. Limiting access to traditional healers
Limiting traditional practices undermines trust and access.
Provider-patient communication is directly linked to:
A. Facility size
B. Insurance reimbursement
C. Patient satisfaction, adherence, and outcomes
D. Technology use
C. Patient satisfaction, adherence, and outcomes
Communication quality affects understanding, compliance, and results.
Why are racial and ethnic minorities disproportionately affected by health disparities?
A. They seek less healthcare
B. They have higher disease resistance
C. They receive more preventive care
D. They experience higher rates of poverty, limited access, and structural barriers
D. They experience higher rates of poverty, limited access, and structural barriers
Disparities are rooted in systemic factors, not individual behavior alone.
The likelihood of having health insurance generally:
A. Decreases with income
B. Is unrelated to income
C. Is equal across populations
D. Increases as income increases
D. Increases as income increases
Higher income increases access to employer-sponsored and private insurance.
Being uninsured has which effect on healthcare utilization?
A. Increases preventive care
B. Improves outcomes
C. Has no impact
D. Reduces preventive care and regular medical visits
D. Reduces preventive care and regular medical visits
Uninsured individuals are far less likely to receive routine or preventive care.
Community health workers are effective because they:
A. Replace physicians
B. Provide specialized surgery
C. Reduce insurance costs
D. Bridge gaps between healthcare systems and communities
D. Bridge gaps between healthcare systems and communities
They improve access, education, and trust at the community level.
Which initiative aimed to improve population health and eliminate health disparities?
A. Affordable Care Act
B. Medicaid Expansion
C. National Institutes of Health
D. Healthy People 2020
D. Healthy People 2020
Healthy People initiatives explicitly target disparity reduction.