Money as Health: A Study of Health Status Disparities among African Americans of Flint, Michigan

Abstract

Choice theory has been used as an effective approach in the assessment and treatment of human behavior. It is particularly deployed in cases involving the clinical care of patients who may have chronic co-morbid conditions [1,2]. Although choice theory explores how the personal choices of patients impact their health outcome, there are certain contexts in which health status cannot be simply attributed to maladaptive behaviors [1]. This claim may seem counterintuitive to the basic tenets of the behavioral health enterprise, but a case can be made regarding how a patient's social economic status may predispose him/her to unwanted or unwarranted cycle of poor health status. In this article, the author examines the issue of poverty as a significant predictor of health status. By carefully reviewing relevant literature on the social economic status of African American residents of Flint, Michigan, publically available data suggests a correlation between poverty and the health status of this minority population. Given that a patient's economic means determine where he/she may reside, it is not enough to attribute related health disparities to the question of personal choices. The victims of the lead poisoning in Flint did not choose their health status. They were simply relegated to a potentially hazardous environment, which had direct implications for their health status.