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The Impact of Social Determinants of Health Discus

Analyzes health disparities in Newark, NJ, highlighting how social determinants like income, education, and insurance access impact chronic illness, obesity, and cancer outcomes.

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    Utilizing social determinants of health, the population of Newark, NJ faces certain health disparities due to the sociodemographic characteristics of the area. The limitations in economic stability, access to quality education, and the number of uninsured residents lacking access to healthcare services when compared to the state of New Jersey as a whole play a role in the creation of these inequities. According to the US Census Bureau (2023), 77% of the population of Newark have an educational degree of high school or higher and only 17% have a bachelor's degree or higher. Due to lower education levels, as well as occupational and income limitations coupled with the increased cost of living, an estimated 24% of the population in Newark lives in poverty ("QuickFacts", 2023). Many jobs do not include coverage of benefits and with financial constraints insurance and access can be difficult leading to 20% of the population under 65 years of age living in Newark being uninsured ("QuickFacts", 2023). Underprivileged populations with fewer incidences of learning opportunities and reduced financial freedom are armed with less information and restricted from accessing resources necessary for attaining healthy living and lifestyle choices that improve disease prevention. A lack of information and understanding of what foods to eat, how much physical activity to engage in, and what habits are increasingly dangerous leads to a higher incidence of obesity and chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes. Essex County has a higher incidence of obesity (31.4%) than the state (27.9%) due to reduced physical activity and lack of a healthy diet ("Essex County Public Health Profile Report", 2022). The risks of morbidity from chronic illnesses like hypertension and diabetes are greatly increased in the setting of obesity. According to NJ SHAD (2022), an estimated 32% of the population of Essex County have hypertension, and 9.2% have diabetes, in comparison 29% of the state of New Jersey is diagnosed with hypertension, and the most recent estimate of 8.5% with diabetes. Without medical insurance and access to primary care, important preventative care, screenings, and opportunities for health promotion are missed by those living in Newark and Essex County. Because of a lack of annual screenings for chronic and potentially fatal illnesses, cancer rates, and late-stage cancer rates are higher in this area than in most of the rest of New Jersey. According to The National Cancer Institute's State Cancer Profiles (2024), there are around 209 diagnoses of breast cancer annually with 33% late stage, and 103 diagnoses of colon or rectum cancer with 69% late stage. With proper surveillance, these numbers could be greatly reduced, but this requires access. Invest in education, due to government funding restrictions on schools and slashing salaries for teachers there are few resources for educators to help students who require extra attention, with a "teach to the test" attitude and aptitude tests frequently used as a benchmark for whether or not an educator is succeeding in their position, many students who fall behind do not get the extra time and assistance they need to learn in a way that they can understand and that helps them grow. Community programs for tutoring and after-school assistance would be helpful so that those children who need extra time, attention, and resources have a place to go and people willing to help them find the best way to achieve success. Including instruction related to general health and wellbeing, nutrition, being physically active, and teaching about primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention will prepare the younger population to start making lifestyle choices early that promote wellness and increase disease prevention. Armed with knowledge about nutritious food choices, limiting sodium and sugars, consistent physical activity, and avoiding things like alcohol and tobacco, disease prevalence of diabetes and hypertension can be reduced.

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