Disease Disparities in Louisville: A Case Study Guide
A guide for public health and sociology students on analyzing this case study for their papers.
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Understanding the Louisville Case Study
Your professor assigns a case study: “Analyze health disparities in Louisville, KY.” It’s not just about listing statistics. It’s a deep dive into why a few miles can mean a 10-year difference in life expectancy.
This case study is a classic in public health and sociology. It uses Louisville’s council districts as a micro-level example to understand a macro-level problem: Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). This guide will show you how to break down the case study, apply the right theories, and structure a high-scoring paper.
Key Health Disparities in Louisville
Before you can analyze the ‘why,’ you must establish the ‘what.’ This is the core data you’ll use in your paper, often sourced from the Louisville Metro Health Equity Report.
Life Expectancy Gaps
The most striking fact. There’s a life expectancy gap of over 10 years between districts in the affluent East End and the predominantly Black and lower-income West End. This is your paper’s “hook.”
Chronic Disease Clusters
Focus on specific diseases. Districts in West Louisville have significantly higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and cardiovascular disease. Your paper should map this data to specific districts.
Access to Care & Resources
This includes “food deserts” (lack of full-service grocery stores) and fewer primary care physicians, pharmacies, and safe green spaces. This is a critical SDOH and a key part of your analysis.
Why Disparities Exist: Social Determinants of Health
This is the “contextual border” and the core of your academic analysis. You must connect the data (the ‘what’) to the theory (the ‘why’). The central concept is Social Determinants of Health (SDOH).
The Legacy of Redlining and Segregation
You cannot write this paper without discussing history. Louisville has a long, documented history of redlining—discriminatory 20th-century housing policies that barred Black families from certain neighborhoods. This policy intentionally segregated the city, concentrating poverty and disinvestment in the West End. This directly links to the health outcomes seen today. As a systematic review on redlining and health outcomes confirms, these historical policies are a root cause of modern health inequities.
Environmental Justice and the ‘Rubbertown’ Factor
The disparities aren’t just social; they’re environmental. West Louisville neighborhoods are in close proximity to “Rubbertown,” a complex of chemical plants. For decades, residents have reported high rates of respiratory illnesses. This is a textbook case of environmental justice (or injustice), where polluting industries are disproportionately located in low-income, minority communities. This is a critical point in any environmental studies paper, linking environmental justice and respiratory illness.
Economic Opportunity and the Built Environment
This connects to the physical structure of the districts. Discuss the “built environment”—lack of safe sidewalks, parks, and recreational areas, which discourages physical activity. Discuss food deserts, which forces reliance on fast food and convenience stores, directly impacting diabetes and hypertension rates. An analysis of food deserts and health policy highlights these connections as a key target for public health intervention.
Your paper must argue that these are not separate issues. They are a syndemic—a cluster of interconnected social and environmental factors that combine to produce a massive health burden. This is the level of analysis required for a top grade.
How We Help You Write This Case Study
This is the “micro context”—how you turn this complex analysis into a perfect assignment. Our experts are specialists in this.
1. Geospatial Data Analysis
We can help you analyze and present the data. Our data analysis experts can help structure a quantitative paper, create maps showing disease clusters, or run statistical analyses for your research paper.
2. Public Policy & Sociology
This case study is perfect for a public policy memo. Our writers can help you draft a model paper that analyzes the SDOH factors and proposes actionable, evidence-based policy solutions, such as the “Health in All Policies” (HiAP) framework.
3. Literature Review
Need to find sources on redlining, environmental justice, and health outcomes? We can provide a comprehensive literature review that synthesizes all the academic theory you need to support your argument.
Meet Your Public Health & Sociology Experts
We match your Louisville case study to an expert in policy, sociology, or data.
Simon Njeri, MA (Econ & Sociology)
Public Policy & Sociology Specialist
Perfect for analyzing the SDOH, redlining, and health equity components. Simon is our expert for all public policy and sociology papers.
Julia Muthoni, MSN, BSN, RN
Public Health & Nursing Specialist
Ideal for the nursing perspective, such as a community health assessment or public health intervention plan based on the district data.
Eric Tatua, BSc
Research & Data Specialist
Expert in data analysis and research methodology. He can help structure the quantitative part of your paper, critiquing the data from the Health Equity Report.
Stephen Kanyi, MSc (Biology)
Lead Biology & EBP Specialist
Stephen handles the biological side, explaining the mechanisms by which environmental toxins (from Rubbertown) or poor nutrition (from food deserts) lead to chronic disease.
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Louisville Health Disparities: FAQ
Q: What are the health disparities in Louisville’s council districts?
A: Louisville, KY exhibits significant health disparities, most notably a life expectancy gap of over 10 years between districts in the affluent East End and the predominantly Black and lower-income West End. These disparities also manifest in higher rates of chronic diseases like diabetes, asthma, and heart disease in the West End, linked directly to social determinants of health.
Q: What are Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)?
A: Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are the non-medical factors in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes. Key examples include economic stability, education access, healthcare access, and the built environment (like housing, food deserts, and pollution).
Q: What is redlining and how did it affect Louisville?
A: Redlining was a discriminatory 20th-century housing policy in the U.S. that denied mortgages and financial services to residents of specific neighborhoods, often based on race. In Louisville, this practice systematically segregated the city, concentrating poverty and disinvestment in the West End. This legacy is a direct root cause of modern-day health disparities by limiting generational wealth and degrading the built environment.
Q: What is environmental justice in the context of Louisville?
A: Environmental justice refers to the fair treatment of all people regardless of race or income regarding environmental laws. In Louisville, this is a key issue. The “Rubbertown” industrial complex, a major source of air pollution, is located in West Louisville. The disproportionate burden of pollution on this community, which correlates with higher asthma and respiratory disease rates, is a classic example of environmental injustice.
Write a Powerful Health Equity Analysis
This Louisville case study is more than data; it’s about understanding the deep, systemic roots of health injustice. If you need help connecting the dots between redlining, SDOH, and modern health outcomes for your paper, our experts are ready.
