Health Equity

Local public health workers are in a position to improve health equity in their community. Disparities in social determinants of health, including education, employment status, income level, gender, and ethnicity, have a marked influence on the health of individuals. The diverse root causes of health inequities lead to unfair, but avoidable, health outcomes in the community. Public health professionals have made great strides in the past decade in understanding the root causes of disparate health outcomes. It is a core responsibility of public health to aggressively address inequities in order to improve health outcomes in our communities.

The materials in this chapter supply a basis for meeting the challenges of health equity, and develop plans to lessen inequities.