ABSTRACT
Visionary practitioners recognize that inequities are not de facto autonomically embedded in individual physiology or in the social fabric. Rather, inequities are promulgated by the beliefs and practices of those charged with development of the demographic profile and framework that guide policy design, determine payment structures, and establish accessible pathways to healthcare and wellness services. Redressing inequities that are unequivocally embedded in hundreds of years of marginalization requires engagement of multiple sectors to remediate the social determinants of health, aptly defined by the World Health Organization Commission on Social Determinants of Health (2008) as “the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.” Remediating the gaps that result from the social determinants of health is also required, such as gaps in healthcare and health, social justice, marketplace viability, education, and public policy. The culmination of marginalization, inequitable policies, and societal neglect is perhaps nowhere more evident than in the health of poor men of color. By “poor men,” we mean men who are impoverished and lack the necessary financial resources to meet their basic living needs. In the United States context, “men of color” refers to men who identify as or are categorized as racial/ethnic minorities (i.e., African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and Asian American). We acknowledge that in a global context, there may be other categories of men who are marginalized because of their religion, color of their skin, or social class. Although this chapter is based in the U.S. context, the findings and approach to addressing inequities can be readily translated to address the concerns and needs of other groups of marginalized men.
