Which statement about health disparities is NOT accurate?

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Multiple Choice

Which statement about health disparities is NOT accurate?

Gaps in health outcomes are not predetermined or inevitable; they arise from how resources, opportunities, and environments are distributed. When groups face barriers to timely, high-quality care, preventive services, or supportive social conditions, outcome differences emerge. Because these factors are modifiable through policy, systems changes, and targeted interventions, disparities can be reduced. The statement that disparities are inevitable would imply there is nothing we can do to change them, which isn’t true. In contrast, the other perspectives recognize that differences in access, treatment, and use of preventive services drive disparities, and that addressing social determinants like income, housing, education, and discrimination can lessen these gaps.

Gaps in health outcomes are not predetermined or inevitable; they arise from how resources, opportunities, and environments are distributed. When groups face barriers to timely, high-quality care, preventive services, or supportive social conditions, outcome differences emerge. Because these factors are modifiable through policy, systems changes, and targeted interventions, disparities can be reduced.

The statement that disparities are inevitable would imply there is nothing we can do to change them, which isn’t true. In contrast, the other perspectives recognize that differences in access, treatment, and use of preventive services drive disparities, and that addressing social determinants like income, housing, education, and discrimination can lessen these gaps.

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