I'm working on a sociology discussion question and need a sample draft to help me learn.

Despite being one of the wealthiest countries in the world, the United States ranked 33rd in the world in life expectancy and 56th in infant mortality in 2014 (World Factbook 2014). It is easy to equate health with behavior. In other words, we tend to think that if you eat right, exercise, and don’t smoke you will be healthy. Sociologists, on the other hand, investigate how the experience of inequality can have a negative impact on an individual’s health.

For this discussion, begin by reviewing the following resources:

• Minority Health (Links to an external site.)
• Inequality Hurts:The Unhealthy Side Effects of Economic Disparity (Links to an external site.)
• Study: Homophobia Harms Health (Links to an external site.)

Using the resources as evidence to back up your ideas, address the following:

• How does social class correlate with health outcomes? In other words, explain how access to healthcare, free time to engage in exercise, and exposure to chronic stressors (in addition to the time and resources available to manage them), vary by social class— and in turn, how that impacts one’s health.
• What is a food desert? Why does it occur? How does the phenomenon of food deserts negatively impact the health of certain groups of people?
• Consider the social identities of race and sexuality. In each of those identities, there are certain groups that tend to experience discrimination and inequalities. Based on the resources you reviewed, explain how the actual experience of discrimination and inequality can negatively impact one’s physical (not just emotional) health? In other words, what is the connection between the experience of inequality and discrimination and negative health outcomes?

There are many additional resources listed under Recommended Resources that can also help you address these questions.

Reference: World Factbook. (2014). Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or scholarly resources, and properly cite any references both in text (Links to an external site.) and in a references list (Links to an external site.) at the end of the post. The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.

Requirements: 250 words