This post is written by Amelia Axelsen.

Good health shouldn’t be spread unevenly. But across the world, discrimination and bias can lead to huge gulfs in wellbeing. Research shows that many aspects of your identity and social status are big determinants of how healthy you are.

Addressing discrimination, gender biases and barriers that prevent accessibility to necessary services, such as poverty and fair pay, are key for greater health and wellbeing for all citizens.

Here are four surprising ways identity plays a role in shaping health, and policies that have been instituted to help make health more inclusive for everyone.

1. Black and Hispanic Americans are exposed to more air pollution than white Americans

Researchers at the University of Washington determined in March that Black and Hispanic Americans were disproportionately exposed to toxic levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) compared to white Americans.

PM2.5, or particle pollution, is the deadliest form of air pollution because it can enter the lungs and travel into the bloodstream. PM2.5 is comprised of hundreds of different chemicals and is linked to respiratory tract diseases and impaired lung function.

The report concluded that despite white Americans using a larger percentage of the goods and services that cause air pollution, African Americans and Hispanics bear most of the “pollution burden”.

Cities around the world are making efforts to combat air pollution in order to create a safer environment for all their citizens.

The air quality in Seoul, South Korea was branded the worst among developed countries by the OECD, but in 2018 Mayor Park Won-soon tried to reverse the trend by offering free transportation during rush hour on days when the air quality index reaches above 50. The city set aside 24.9 billion won (about $23 million) to pay for the free rides.

2. Women are likely to be diagnosed for the same diseases later in life than men

Danish researchers revealed in March that for a wide range of diseases, women are more likely to be older than men when a disease is diagnosed — even though they usually seek treatment at an earlier age.

In a study of the entire Danish population (6.9 million people) over the last 21 years, researchers found that the age in which a condition was found was later for women than men. Women received cancer diagnoses on average 2.5 years later than men and a diagnosis for metabolic diseases 4.5 years later.

Although several different factors, such as genetics, the environment, or gender biases may contribute to the disparity in the diagnosis date, the study notes the importance of having gender-based research and healthcare policies that are inclusive and don’t focus on one sex.

For instance, the National Institutes of Health, a US Department of Health and Human Services has implemented a Policy on Sex as a Biological Variable in order to help deal with gender bias in research trials, which focus primarily on men. Since 2016, all NIH funded research must consider sex differences, which is significant because the budget exceeds $30 billion of taxpayer dollars.

3. LGBT people have a greater struggle with health services compared to straight people

A 2018 government survey examining the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) revealed that 38% of people that have accessed health services have had a negative experience because of their gender identity, while 27% said they were worried, anxious, or embarrassed about going.

In one study by Jama Internal Medicine, gay and bisexual men were three to five times more likely to experience severe psychological distress than straight men; while lesbian and bisexual women were twice as likely to have chronic health problems compared to straight women.

In the United Kingdom, the Government Equalities Office established an LGBT Action Plan to ensure the health needs of LGBT people are met. As part of the plan, an 'LGBT Implementation Fund', comprised of £4.5 million in funding, will be allocated by March 2020 to establish a modern care model for identity services in England to address the needs of LGBT people in healthcare.

4. Having a lower income knocks years off your life

In a population-wide health ranking of American counties, a report released in March revealed that lower income adults are less likely to be healthy.

The burden of paying for doctors’ appointments, medicine, and healthy food — and living a healthy lifestyle more generally — is much higher for those living in poverty. For instance, impoverished adults live seven to eight years less than the average American, according to University of California San Francisco (UCSF).

In Oregon, the Mid-Columbia Housing Authority (MCHA) has a programme to increase the number of living spaces with supportive services built-in to help residents at risk of poverty find affordable accommodation. Community health workers play an instrumental part in the programme by serving as coordinators to develop policy recommendations for expanding housing.

👋 You can create a post like this one! Share your thoughts with a community of public servants. Learn more

(Image Credit: Unsplash)