A 2016 analysis indicated that men whose income is in the top 1 percent live almost 15 years longer than those in the bottom 1 percent, according to the report. For women, that difference is almost 10 years.
A number of interventions at the individual, family, health care provider and community levels that could be useful in helping to ameliorate the negative effects of stress on low-income and minority populations and potentially address some of the health disparities are identified in the report. For instance, at the individual level, mind-body interventions, such as yoga or meditation, were found to be accepted by disadvantaged groups and showed some effectiveness at improving mental and physical health outcomes. Other interventions cited included improving the quality of communication between patients and their health care providers and teaching parenting skills to promote positive parent-child attachments.
The report concludes with a series of recommendations, including calling for additional multidisciplinary research on the interrelationship of barriers to health experienced by disadvantaged individuals. It also recommends improving psychology training programs to make sure clinicians are capable of adequately discussing and addressing the effects of inequality on individual health. Increasing awareness among the public and policymakers on the stress-inducing implications of persistent exposure to implicit biases and microaggressions is also important, according to the report.
“Disparities in both stress and health may not be visible to those who have more advantages or who have relatively limited direct contact with those affected,” said Brondolo. “A well-informed community is critical to improving the health of racial/ethnic and poor communities.”
