Better technology access reduces healthcare gaps for African Americans – News-Medical

Report on Socioeconomic Status, Technology Access, and Healthcare Disparities in Relation to Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Introduction: The Challenge to Health Equity and Sustainable Development

An analysis of healthcare disparities among African Americans reveals that socioeconomic status and access to technology are significant determinants of health outcomes. These findings present critical challenges to the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those focused on health, equality, and innovation. This report examines research findings that statistically link economic standing with the digital divide in healthcare, framing the issue within the global agenda for sustainable development.

2.0 Research Methodology and Key Findings

Data was analyzed from a survey of 815 African Americans concerning their access to and utilization of health-related information and technologies. The research, a collaboration including Jiangsu University and Teesside University, elucidated the complex interplay between socioeconomic factors and health equity.

2.1 Statistical Correlations

The study established several statistically significant relationships:

• A direct positive correlation exists between higher socioeconomic status and greater access to technology.
• A positive association was found between technology access and the subsequent use of health technology.
• A negative association was identified between technology access and healthcare disparities, meaning that less access to health technology corresponds with larger disparities in healthcare outcomes.

3.0 Implications for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The research findings have profound implications for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The interconnected nature of socioeconomic status, technology access, and health disparities directly impacts the following goals:

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The report highlights significant barriers to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. Disparities in access to health technologies like telemedicine and wearables undermine progress toward universal health coverage and equitable health outcomes.
2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The evidence demonstrates how socioeconomic factors and structural barriers perpetuate health inequalities within a population. Addressing these disparities is central to the mission of SDG 10, which calls for reducing inequality within and among countries. The research makes a case for structural changes over individual solutions to combat systemic inequity.
3. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: While healthcare technologies represent significant innovation, their potential to “level the playing field” is limited by inequitable access. This digital divide underscores the need for inclusive and resilient infrastructure as mandated by SDG 9, ensuring that the benefits of technological progress are shared by all.

4.0 Conclusion: A Dual-Pronged Approach for SDG Attainment

The evidence confirms that socioeconomic disparities and the digital divide are interlinked forces that exacerbate healthcare inequalities. To advance the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3 and SDG 10, a comprehensive strategy is required.

• Addressing both digital and structural barriers is essential to achieving health equity.
• Efforts must focus on dismantling systemic issues that limit economic opportunities and digital inclusion.
• Achieving equitable access to healthcare technology is crucial for reducing disparities and fulfilling the promise of innovation for all members of society.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The article’s central theme is healthcare disparities and access to healthcare services, which is the core of SDG 3. It discusses how socioeconomic status and technology access impact the health outcomes of African Americans, directly connecting to the goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• The article explicitly focuses on inequalities faced by a specific demographic group (African Americans) due to socioeconomic status and “structural racism.” It highlights how these factors create disparities in healthcare access, aligning with SDG 10’s objective to reduce inequality within and among countries. The text states, “tackling both digital and structural barriers is key to achieving equity.”

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

• The article discusses the role of technology, such as “internet-based telemedicine, wearables or precision medicine,” in healthcare. It emphasizes that access to this technological infrastructure is unequal, a problem known as the “digital divide.” This connects to SDG 9’s aim to build resilient infrastructure and foster innovation, particularly the goal of increasing access to information and communications technology (ICT).

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
  • The article supports this by highlighting the financial barriers to healthcare: “Healthcare in the US takes money, whether it’s for health insurance, hospital and clinic visits, medicine and other supplies.” The discussion of “healthcare disparities” directly addresses the challenge of providing access to “all.”

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status.
  • The article’s focus on healthcare disparities among African Americans and the role of socioeconomic status directly relates to this target. The research aims to make a case for “digital inclusion” and “structural changes rather than individual solutions” to overcome these barriers.
• Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome…
  • The article points to “healthcare disparities” as an inequality of outcome influenced by “structural racism.” The research provides “hard numbers” to “demonstrate precisely how socioeconomic factors influence healthcare access” and challenge the systems that perpetuate these unequal outcomes.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

• Target 9.c: Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet…
  • The article directly addresses this by discussing how the benefits of healthcare technologies “are limited to who can afford them.” It identifies a “statistically significant relationship between socioeconomic status and technology access,” underscoring the lack of universal and affordable access to this critical infrastructure.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Indicators for SDG 3 Targets

• The article implies indicators related to access to and utilization of health services. The research analyzed data from a survey on “use of health-related information and health-related behaviors.” Measuring the difference in the use of services like “telemedicine” and “hospital and clinic visits” between different socioeconomic groups would serve as a practical indicator of healthcare disparity.

Indicators for SDG 10 Targets

• The article explicitly mentions the collection of data that serves as an indicator for inequality. The research analyzed “a survey of 815 African Americans on their access to and use of health-related information.” The findings, such as the “statistically significant relationship between socioeconomic status and technology access,” are quantitative indicators of inequality. Progress could be measured by tracking these statistics over time to see if the gap narrows.

Indicators for SDG 9 Targets

• The article implies an indicator related to the proportion of the population with technology access, disaggregated by socioeconomic status. The research found that “higher socioeconomic status individuals are more likely to have technology access.” This finding itself is an indicator. Progress towards Target 9.c could be measured by tracking the percentage of lower socioeconomic groups who gain access to internet and health technologies.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: news.ucsb.edu