preview

Zip Code Research Paper

Satisfactory Essays

Your zip code identifies your surroundings, and ultimately acts as a paramount heath gauge. Whether I put 01605 or 02119, my zip code in Roxbury, I am conscious of the stigma and resources that accompany every number. If you were to place those pivotal 5 digits into google you would get the crime rate, quality of the educational system, and possible restaurants nearby. Though crime rate and education are more recognizable appraisal of health, by established research on stress and economic status of the region, lesser known factors in particular, local food, stands alongside these indicators. Say you have an overweight family of three in Dorchester, MA. The father has diabetes, the mother has high cholesterol, and the child has asthma. Diet would be a priority; however, they are surrounded by McDonalds, KFCs, corner stores with overpriced groceries, and adjacent Dunkin Donut shops. To get the food they need, they would have to either travel towns over, or settle for a more expensive alternative. Unfortunately, that is not practical for many families. Their condition would worsen by their lack of exercise conceivably confounded given the lack of public safety. Your zip code is your living situation, your foundation, and instrumental to acquiring and/or managing disease. …show more content…

Genetically, they are uniform, but their environment can create explicit differences. One may have darker hair, or in more extreme nutritional variation: one may be taller than the other. This is not a matter of genes, this is a matter of resources. Access to care in the region, insurance status, and immigrant status create a health concoction. Health is a matter of intersectionality. No one factor negates the necessity of another; however, when comparing zip code to genetic code, zip code can often be the difference between thriving and

Get Access