Research & Data Services
February 12-16, 2024
#LoveData24
Tuesday, February 13, 2024 – Blog Post by Tiffany Grant, PhD, CDE
Today we will focus on health disparities. The term health disparity refers to differences in health and health care between groups that typically stem from broader inequities. Multiple definitions of health disparity exist including:
Healthy People 2030 definition of health disparity
A particular type of health difference that is linked with social, economic, and/or environmental disadvantage,” and that adversely affects groups of people who have systematically experienced greater obstacles to health.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition of health disparity
Preventable differences in the burden, disease, injury, violence, or in opportunities to achieve optimal health experienced by socially disadvantaged racial, ethnic, and other population groups and communities.
*Note that each definition refers to differences, and these differences are driven by a number of factors, including genetics, health behaviors, social and environmental factors, and access to health care.
Health disparities exist across all demographics in the US, and addressing them is essential to not only to those impacted, but to the overall health our our nation. Health disparties place a significant financial burden on individual, families, and the health care system.
Heart disease has been the number one cause of death for the last 100 years. In 2021 heart disease and stroke (5th leading cause of death) took more lives in the US than all forms of cancer and lower respiratory disease.
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