Lifestyle Incongruence :: Economy, Minorities, Poverty

The situation that places African-Americans along with other minorities at an economic disadvantage because blacks tend to earn less than whites which often force blacks to pick between paying rent or providing food to make it daily. The hierarchy of needs are not being meet psychologically is a stressor that can produce health related illness that can effect a community as a whole if no intervention are made. (16) In exploring the impact that cultural model on the African-American community, William Dressler and James Bindon case study entitled, â€Å"The Health consequence of cultural consonance; cultural dimension of lifestyle, social support and arterial blood pressure in an African American community. â€Å" In the case study, Dressler and Bindon focus on the areas of society, culture and individual health; cultural models, cultural consonance and cultural consonance; and blood pressure in the African American community. The first goal of this research involves determining if there are shared models of lifestyle and social support in the community. Two, determine what the separate associations of cultural consonance in lifestyle and cultural consonance in social support are with blood pressure. Lastly, determine if there is a synergism between cultural consonance in social support in relations to stress (blood pressure). In society, culture and individual health, Dressler and Bindon noted that, socioeconomic status refers to the position of the individual in a system of ranked status based on criteria that include occupation, income and education. (9). Social integration refers to the degree to which individuals report social connections based on marital status, membership in voluntary associations, and interaction with friends and relative. (10) In return, a lower ranking on socioeconomic status is associated with an increase risk of disease. Higher levels of social integration are associated with a reduced risk of disease. (11) Furthermore, being lower in the status hierarchy, or being socially, isolated, could conceivably be associated with a wide variety of factors from not getting a sufficient amount of exercise to perceptions of stress on a daily basis. (12) Perspective epidemiological research designs are fairly efficient at ruling out alternative explanations by taking into account (or controlling for) exposure to other kinds of risks. (13) Thus, numerous studies have shown that the risk of disease associated with status role positions remains unaffected by controlling for pre-existing health problems, obesity access to medical care, dietary patterns, smoking; drinking and similar sorts of factors known to have effects on health.