Health Issues: Racial/Religious Discrimination

Running head: HEALTH ISSUES 1
Health Issues
Name
Institution

HEALTH ISSUES 2
Racial/Religious Discrimination
Introduction
Discrimination based on race and religion can have adverse effects on an individual both
mentally and physically. Racial discrimination can be described as the inappropriate and unfair
treatment of people based on the color of their skin (Lauren, 2018). Religious discrimination, on
the other hand, can be defined as the act of treating an individual or a group of individuals
differently based on their religious beliefs. Several pieces of research have revealed that racial
inequities generally lead to poorer health outcomes. The impact of racial and religious
discrimination ranges from mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety to chronic
conditions such as breast cancer and heart attack.
The majority of people who experience racial discrimination are the people of color,
especially the black Americans in the USA, African Americans, and Hispanics among others.
Such kinds of discrimination can prevent the people of color from accessing the necessary health
facilities, or when they access these facilities then quality healthcare is not guaranteed (Oswald,
Mitchell, Blanton, Jaccard & Tetlock, 2013). As a result, patient safety which should be the
number one priority of any healthcare setting is jeopardized.
It is also important to note that religious discrimination has numerous impacts on the
health of individuals. Australia has several international and domestic legal protections that
prohibit discrimination on the ground of religion or race. However, most Australians still
experience religious discrimination, most notably the Muslim Australians. This group of
individuals has faced increased levels of discrimination since the terrorist attack that occurred in
the United States of America on 11th September 2011 and the Bali bombing in 2002. The
Muslim Australians have therefore been subjected to heightened discrimination that includes
being sworn at and being denied job opportunities. There are also other religious groups that
have experienced increased discrimination in recent years, for example, the Jews who have
reported anti-Semitism, especially on the internet. In this essay, we will talk about how the
chosen health issue affects the identified population. Additionally, the essay talks about the
social determinants of health problems that are experienced by the chosen populations.

HEALTH ISSUES 3
Furthermore, we will identify the potential stakeholders that can help in addressing the social
determinants of health for the chosen population.
Effects of Racism and Religious Discrimination on the Selected Population
Racism and religious discrimination impacts on the health of the victims in several ways.
Some of the ways may include limited access to employment opportunities, reduced access to
education and housing, reduced engagement in healthy behaviors, and physical injuries that may
result from racially motivated violence (Bastos, Celeste, Faerstein & Barros, 2010). People of
color are at a higher risk of suffering from inequalities related to racism than any other group of
people. Additionally, racial discrimination affects the mental health of individuals that
experience it thus leading to depression, increased psychological stress, and anxiety (Bastos et
al., 2010). As we have witnessed recently, there has been an increase in hate crimes and violence
at the white nationalist rally that occurred in Charlottesville. Additionally, some NFL players in
the USA have also experienced this social injustice and recently took to their knees in a game to
condemn the discrimination based on races.
As reported by various health and medical studies, chronic emotional stress negatively
impacts on the mental and physical health conditions of individuals. Racial discrimination is thus
known to create an environment of pervasive stress for the people of color (Lee & Ahn, 2011).
The repeated traumatic interactions that come with this kind of discrimination lowers the self-
esteem of the African-Americans and leads to an internalized hatred since they are forced into
conservative and apologetic thinking. Studies conducted in several universities that have both the
whites and African-Americans revealed that the African Americans population had more cases of
mental and physical stress as opposed to the whites (Boulware, Cooper, Ratner, LaVeist & Powe,
2016). It is worth noting that the anticipation of experiencing racism is just enough to cause
significant spikes in the stress levels which eventually affect the mental health of the people of
color.
Additionally, racial discrimination can lead to the development of long-lasting depression
and mood disorders (Krieger, Kosheleva, Waterman, Chen & Koenen, 2011). The rate of
suicides among the African-American high school students is on the rise due to racial
discrimination. In a study that was done in Ferguson, 43% of the sample done in the community

HEALTH ISSUES 4
and 33% of the police sample was reported to have met the criteria for depression (Skiba et al.,
2011). Additionally, a survey conducted in Wisconsin revealed that only 4% of white students
attempted suicide as compared to the black students where 16% reported cases of attempted
suicide (Boulware et al., 2016). The experience of racial discrimination between the ages of 20
years up to 32 years is a causative factor of depression and anxiety. It is important to note that
such levels of mental distress can lead to the creation of an environment that encourages
unhealthy coping methods (Soto, Dawson-Andoh & BeLue, 2011). As a result, the affected
population tends to seek solace in alcohol and other drugs give that they also are not guaranteed
an access to quality health and treatment.
Religious discrimination has also affected the Muslims and Jews in Australia in several
ways. The Muslims, in particular, have been sworn at and sometimes physically assaulted
whenever something with a Muslim connection occurs in Australia. They also experience serious
discrimination and opposition whenever they seek to set up places of worship where the
community protests and the local planning authorities refuse to approve applications. Some
Muslim students are additionally denied a chance of seeking education in some institutions
wearing their Hijabs as there has been a public debate that the garment is not consistent with the
culture and values of the Australians (Stephan & Stephan, 2013). The result is that the Muslims
are affected both mentally and physically with these day-to-day anti-Muslim trends. Another
group of people that experiences religious discrimination in Australia is the Jewish. People who
can be visibly identified as Jewish have been on the receiving end of both physical and verbal
abuse. Their property has been additionally vandalized. Moreover, they receive threatening
emails and anti-Semitic graffiti. Studies have revealed that such instances of religious
discrimination can have profound impacts on the health and well-being of the victims, their
families and the communities they belong to.
Social Determinants of Racial/Religious Discrimination
Several pieces of research have revealed that racism is an unacceptable social toxin that is
extremely lethal to people of color. The inequalities that are experienced in the healthcare setting
are related to the historical injustices. Therefore, the best way to achieve health equality is by
dismantling systems such as racism that produce these inequalities (Priest, Paradies, Gunthorpe,
Cairney & Sayers, 2011). It is important to note that racism only serves to reinforce the power