Answer to Question 1
Ans: B
The National Institute for Nursing Research (NINR), in keeping with national and international recognition that health is negatively affected by factors of race, ethnicity, gender, economic disadvantage, geography, and culture, has adopted a strategic plan focused on reducing health disparities. NINR supports research designed to increase understanding of the determinants of health disparities and culturally appropriate strategies and interventions to reduce and eliminate health disparities in underserved and vulnerable populations. The World Health Organization (WHO) in its latest report advocates making health disparities more visible so that any given society can create objectives and mobilize resources for change. The U.S. government addressed health disparities by establishing the Healthy People initiative, the Office of Minority Health, and the National Institutes of Health's National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The comprehensive report by the Institute of Medicine (2002) in its review of more than 100 studies found that minorities were less likely to obtain health care than were whites. The review also documented inequities related to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and mental illness.
Answer to Question 2
Ans: A
Individuals or groups who live on the fringes or margins of society, lack key resources, and are most often underserved or not served at all, particularly in health care systems, are considered marginalized. Included among marginalized groups are the homeless, immigrants, migrants, and those with chronic disabilities. Vulnerable groups, including minorities, women, children, and those with disabilities, are more susceptible to infectious diseases, especially HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).