Okechuku Kelechi Enyia, MPH
In recent years, the public health sphere has evolved to
more meaningfully consider what is now framed as the
“social determinants of health” (SDOH). According to
the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United
States Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS), social determinants of health are factors (i.e.
socioeconomic status, built environment, housing, education,
transportation, social support networks, race/
ethnicity, gender, health care services access etc.) that determine
the extent to which individuals are able to live
the best quality of life possible. Emerging scholarship has
further centered the economic burden of disease across
several health indicators (i.e. cancer, heart disease, diabetes,
obesity, mental health and other conditions). The
lower an individual’s socioeconomic position, the higher
their risk of poor health. Despite robust health disparities
research already in place, there is a paucity of studies
that have meaningfully examined the economic impact of
health disparities specifically with respect to Black men’s
health in the United States. This presentation has four
aims: 1) further explore and examine the economic costs
of men’s health disparities 2) expound on the impact
of racism on the cardiovascular health of Black men 3)
make an economic case for advancing equity with respect
to men’s health disparities and 4) provide practical equity-
oriented policy-level solutions and strategies to support
an advocacy agenda targeting the reduction and/or elimination
of men’s health disparities
