Presentation Title
Degree Name
Master of Interdisciplinary Studies (MA)
Department
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
Location
UW Y Center
Start Date
21-5-2015 5:20 PM
End Date
21-5-2015 5:25 PM
Abstract
Obesity is an ongoing problem in the United States, with an estimated 64.5% of the adult population meeting the current criteria for weight loss treatment (Stevens et al 2015). Previous studies have correlated weight status with several comorbid diseases, and as a result, obesity is widely considered to be a public health concern. While there has been some research into the impact of weight-related public stigma on private patient experiences, the larger public mechanisms that contribute to these patient experiences have yet to be closely examined in this context. In this presentation, I discuss the ways that public factors influence private health experiences. In particular, I focus on the impact of poverty on healthcare access, and the way that educational inequality contributes to health disparities through unequal health literacy. Poverty in particular is heavily stigmatized in the public eye, while differences in educational attainment are generally seen as resulting from individual choice rather than systemic inequalities. The public systems that produce both poverty and educational inequalities therefore play determining roles in private health outcomes.
Increased Patient Health Literacy and Healthcare Provider Structural Competence: Public and Private Strategies for Improving Patient Health Outcomes
UW Y Center
Obesity is an ongoing problem in the United States, with an estimated 64.5% of the adult population meeting the current criteria for weight loss treatment (Stevens et al 2015). Previous studies have correlated weight status with several comorbid diseases, and as a result, obesity is widely considered to be a public health concern. While there has been some research into the impact of weight-related public stigma on private patient experiences, the larger public mechanisms that contribute to these patient experiences have yet to be closely examined in this context. In this presentation, I discuss the ways that public factors influence private health experiences. In particular, I focus on the impact of poverty on healthcare access, and the way that educational inequality contributes to health disparities through unequal health literacy. Poverty in particular is heavily stigmatized in the public eye, while differences in educational attainment are generally seen as resulting from individual choice rather than systemic inequalities. The public systems that produce both poverty and educational inequalities therefore play determining roles in private health outcomes.