Lesson 3.1: Understanding Health Equity

Overview

This lesson focuses on understanding public and community health and develops the skill of identifying and analyzing how the community can influence health.

Learning Targets

  • LO1: Explain what health equity is.
  • LO2: Compare and contrast the concepts of equity and equality.
  • LO3: Describe the major social and economic influences on health.
  • LO4: Define health disparities and explain how they relate to health equity.

Preparation

Chapter Opener: Use the chapter 3 How Healthy is My School? self-assessment to introduce the chapter before moving on to Lesson 3.1 or assign the self-assessment as a homework task before starting this lesson.

For the Warm-Up Activity: Write the Journal Question on the board or identify (and copy as needed) the worksheets you plan to use:

For the Content Focus: Open the Lesson 3.1 PowerPoint slides or make copies of the Lesson 3.1 Note-Taking Guide.

For the Lesson Focus: Copy the Lesson 3.1 Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet: Analyzing Influences.

Warm-Up Activity

Select a warm-up activity to help get your class focused and on task.

  • Self-Assessment: Have students complete the How Healthy Is My School? self-assessment.
  • Journal Question: Do you think you have the same access to services and opportunities as other people you know when it comes to things that might influence your health? Explain your response.
    • Option: Write or project the question and have students respond in their journal or on their “bell ringer” sheet as they enter class.
    • Option: Have students discuss the question with a partner or in a small group.
  • Vocabulary Review: Have students work individually, in pairs, or in small groups to complete the Lesson 3.1 Vocabulary Review Worksheet.
  • Quiz: Have students complete the Lesson 3.1 Quiz to assess their prior knowledge.
    • Option: Collect the quiz and use it alongside a posttest to demonstrate student learning.
    • Option: Have students share their answers with a partner and then go over the answers together as a class.

Lesson Content

Review the content from the textbook lesson.

Lesson Focus: Analyzing Influences

  1. Give each student a copy of the Skill-Building Challenge Worksheet: Analyzing Influences.
  2. Have students work individually to complete the worksheet.
  3. Ask students to share some of the resources they identified. Once enough time has passed, have students share in pairs or small groups using the reflection questions on the worksheet.
  4. Have pairs or groups share their responses with the class as time permits or have all students write their responses to the questions on the board and discuss commonalities and differences.

Challenge Activity

Have students needing an additional challenge work on the following Thinking Critically task.

Marginalized groups often experience poorer health than others due to bias and discrimination. Why might life circumstances affect health outcomes? Explain your response.

Reflection and Summary

Review the critical content from today’s lesson. Review the learning targets and ask students to answer each question posed.

Can you...

  • Explain what health equity is?

    Health equity occurs when everyone has the opportunity to attain full health and wellness, and no one is disadvantaged because of their social position or other socially defined circumstance.

  • Compare and contrast the concepts of equity and equality?

    Health equity requires that everyone has equal access and opportunity to attain good health while health equality would require that everyone has the same health outcomes or health status.

  • Describe the major social and economic influences on health?

    The major influences are education (less education is associated with lower health outcomes), income (lower income is associated with lower health outcomes), and housing and neighborhood conditions (poorer neighborhoods with fewer resources are associated with poorer health outcomes).

  • Define health disparities and explain how they relate to health equity?

    Health disparities are actual differences in health status or are the outcomes that can occur due to inequities. For example, people with lower incomes and education have higher rates of cancer and are more likely to die from cancer than their affluent (wealthier) peers.

Assessment

Complete one or more of the following assessment tasks for this lesson.

Take It Home

Talk to a parent or guardian about how community and organizations might be influencing their health and the health of the family. Identify the influences as positive or negative.

Option: Assign the How Healthy Is My School? self-assessment as a homework task if it was not used at the start of this lesson.