Population-Based Approaches to Inform Policy: Men's Health Disparities and Opportunities for Nonprofits and Philanthropy to Leverage Change

Abstract

Certain racial, ethnic, and economic groups, specifically men of color and men with low incomes, experience disproportionately high rates of chronic illness and of diseases and conditions that are leading causes of death in the United States. The dismal rates of morbidity and premature death among poor men and men of color in the United States underscore societal inequities and exacerbate health disparities among these populations. As the evidence of disparities continues to compound, the need for many-layered responses to address complex and intractable health inequalities becomes more obvious. Detailing the actual utilization of health services in specific populations by gender, race, ethnicity, and income can contribute to a wider understanding of health disparities and the costs of inadequate access to quality health care. Such population-based approaches to data collection and health service delivery within a community context can both ameliorate health disparities and suggest novel interventions to inform policy decisions. Nontraditional collaborations that create broad community coalitions around population-based approaches and join nonprofits with philanthropy, academe, and local, state, and federal governmental entities hold the greatest potential for lever-aging change.