Reducing Oral Health Disparities: A Focus on Social and Cultural Determinants

A model for oral health gradients in children: using structural equation modeling.

Detecting the underlying socioeconomic and behavioral determinants is essential for reducing oral health disparities in children. OBJECTIVE To test a conceptual model in children to explore the interaction amongst social, environmental, behavioral factors and oral health outcomes. METHODS This analytic cross-sectional study was performed in 2014-2015 in Shiraz, Iran. The sampling was conduc...

Adaptive Policies for Reducing Inequalities in the Social Determinants of Health

Inequalities in the social determinants of health (SDH), which drive avoidable health disparities between different individuals or groups, is a major concern for a number of international organisations, including the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite this, the pathways to changing inequalities in the SDH remain elusive. The methodologies and concepts within system science are now viewed ...

Editorial: Reducing Oral Health Disparities: Social, Environmental and Cultural Factors

Cultural context and a critical approach to eliminating health disparities.

The science of eliminating racial health disparities requires a clear understanding of the underlying social processes that drive persistent differences in health outcomes by self-identified race. Understanding these social processes requires analysis of cultural notions of race as these are instantiated in institutional policies and practices that ultimately contribute to health disparities. R...

Improving the health of the nation: HRSA's mission to achieve health equity.

Mary Wakefield, PhD, RNa Improving the health status of the United States is predicated on reducing and eventually eliminating health disparities and achieving health equity. Meaningfully addressing health disparities is complex work and involves considering what are, at times, seemingly unrelated factors. Recognizing this challenge, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recen...