Common contributors to health disparities include:

• A. Limited healthcare access, poverty, economic inequality, discrimination, bias, differences in education and health literacy, transportation barriers, geographic barriers, and social determinants of health.
• B. Geographic barriers.
• C. Differences in patient preferences.
• D. High patient satisfaction with care.

Answer: (D)

Health disparities arise from a wide range of social and systemic factors that affect groups differently. The most complete explanation includes limited healthcare access, poverty, economic inequality, discrimination and bias, differences in education and health literacy, transportation barriers, geographic barriers, and the broader social determinants of health. These elements interact to shape who gets timely and high-quality care, who faces risk, and who has the resources to manage health outcomes.

Geographic barriers alone miss many drivers, since disparities also come from economic, social, and informational factors. Differences in patient preferences can influence care, but they don’t by themselves explain why disparities exist across populations. High patient satisfaction with care would generally indicate positive experiences and outcomes rather than be a contributor to disparities.