Health Equity

Health equity is achieved when every person has the opportunity to “attain his or her full health potential” and no one is “disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances.” Health inequities are reflected in differences in length of life; quality of life; rates of disease, disability, and death; severity of disease; and access to treatment.

One of the primary goals of CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) is to achieve health equity by eliminating health disparities and achieving optimal health for all Americans. NCCDPHP addresses health equity through its programs, research, tools and resources, and leadership.

Follow the links below to access select information from NCCDPHP on health equity and racial/ethnic disparities.

Promoting Health Equity: A Resource to Help Communities Address the Social Determinants of Health [PDF–5.7MB]
This workbook is for community-based organizations, public health practitioners, and community health partners seeking to create health equity by addressing the social determinants of health.

Social Determinants of Health Maps
These maps of selected social determinants of health, including poverty, unemployment, education, urban/rural, race, ethnicity, etc., provide information to be used in tandem with other data sources to match heart disease and stroke prevention programs and policies to the needs of local populations.

Data Set Directory of Social Determinants of Health at the Local Level
This directory contains an extensive list of existing data sets that can be used to address the social determinants of health. The data sets are organized according to 12 dimensions, or broad categories, of the social environment.

REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Health)
REACH U.S. is a national program that supports community coalitions that design, implement, and evaluate community-driven strategies to eliminate health disparities among the following racial and ethnic groups: African Americans, American Indians, Hispanics/Latinos, Asian Americans, Alaska Natives, and Pacific Islanders. The REACH Web site contains information on the program as well as resources and publications on racial and ethnic health disparities.

Health Disparities in Cancer
This site provides basic information, statistics, CDC activities, publications, and other resources related to health disparities in cancer.

Addressing Health Disparities Among Youth
This site provides information on funded programs, surveillance, evaluation, and research activities that address health disparities among youth

Health Disparities in Smoking and Tobacco Use
This site provides data, scientific articles, and case studies on the differences in the patterns, prevention, and treatment of tobacco use among specific populations.

Diabetes Awareness Campaigns
The National Diabetes Education Program, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has numerous diabetes awareness tools tailored and adapted for individual racial and ethnic groups.

Disparities in Oral Health
This site provides statistics and resources related to disparities in oral health.

Surveillance Systems
Many of CDC’s chronic disease surveillance systems, including but not limited to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, collect specific data to gain better understanding of how social, economic, and other factors can impact health.