Preventable Health Disparities
Health disparities are preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by populations that have been disadvantaged by their social or economic status, geographic location, and environment.[1] Many populations experience health disparities, including people from some racial and ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities, women, people who are LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, or other), people with limited English proficiency, and other groups.
Across the country, people in some racial and ethnic minority groups experience higher rates of poor health and disease for a range of health conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity, asthma, heart disease, cancer, and preterm birth, when compared to their White counterparts. For example, the average life expectancy among Black or African American people in the United States is four years lower than that of White people.[3] These disparities sometimes persist even when accounting for other demographic and socioeconomic factors, such as age or income.
Communities can prevent health disparities when community- and faith-based organizations, employers, healthcare systems and providers, public health agencies, and policymakers work together to develop policies, programs, and systems based on a health equity framework and community needs.
CDC is transforming its public health research, surveillance, and implementation science efforts to expand beyond listing the markers of health inequities to identifying and addressing the drivers of these disparities. Through the CORE strategy, CDC is integrating health equity as a foundational element across our work – from science and research, to programs, partnerships, and workforce. As part of the initiative, OMHHE has adopted four CORE goals.
Cultivate comprehensive health equity science
OMHHE will facilitate and accelerate health equity principles’ adoption across CDC programs, policies, data systems, and funding structures.
OMHHE is working to:
- Standardize health equity language and principles.
- Establish standards in health equity data collection.
- Provide guidance on analyzing and using data to assess health equity and manage public health programs.
- Incorporate health equity principles and data collection standards into Notice of Funding Opportunities that support research and non-research public health programs at the state and local level.
Potential Impact: National, state, local, tribal, and territorial public health staff will have a better understanding of health equity, the increased capacity to use data to integrate health equity into public health systems and interventions, and ultimately eliminate health disparities in the communities they serve.
Goal in Action: CDC’s CORE Commitment to Health Equity Science and Intervention Strategy
Optimize interventions
OMHHE/Office of Women’s Health will collaborate with partners to address and reduce the impact of gender discrimination and gendered racism in the workplace.
OMHHE is collaborating with internal and external partners to:
- Provide input to a national survey to assess the status and impact of gender discrimination and gendered racism in the U.S. population.
- Compile and communicate strategies, policies, and best practices intended to reduce gender discrimination and gendered racism in the workplace.
- Develop and implement strategies for strengthening organizational capacity to achieve and sustain systems changes that promote health equity in the workplace.
Potential Impact: Systems changes will occur in the workplace, including workplaces that set the standard for gender equity best practices, that decrease experiences of gender discrimination and gendered racism, and ultimately, improve mental and physical health among people of all gender identities.
Goal in Action: Evaluation of data on perceptions and experiences of gender discrimination and gendered racism in the workplace.
Reinforce and expand robust partnerships
OMHHE will mobilize partners to develop and implement strategies addressing health disparities and long-standing inequities including social determinants of health.
OMHHE is providing guidance and support to partners who respond to public health needs to:
- Develop partners’ capacity to work with CDC to address health inequities, health disparities, and structural and social determinants of health in response to public health crises.
- Design new, or evaluate and refine existing, evidence-based strategies that address health equity and long-standing health disparities and inequities; and develop guidance for implementation of these strategies in diverse communities.
Potential Impact: CDC partners will be engaged and ready to respond to public health emergencies and address long-standing health inequities, health disparities, and structural and social determinants of health.
Goal in Action: National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved, Including Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations and Rural Communities
Enhance capacity and workforce engagement
OMHHE will transform the public health workforce to ensure diversity and health equity competencies in existing and future staff.
OMHHE collaborates with internal and external partners to:
- Expand access to undergraduate student internships by linking CDC Undergraduate Public Health Scholars (CUPS) grantees with state, local, and community partners interested in hosting students or establishing pipeline programs.
- Integrate competencies of health equity as well as racism and health into the CDC and public health workforce.
Potential Impact: National, state, local, tribal, and territorial public health agencies will have increased opportunity to support underserved undergraduate students and the current public health workforce with learning how to integrate health equity competencies into public health work. Ultimately, we will create a public health workforce that reflects the communities we serve and is responsive to the country’s changing demographics.
Goal in Action: CDC OMHHE Student Programs