Quick Facts about Disparities
Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
The evidence is indisputable: Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States experience major differences in health access, treatment, and outcomes compared to whites. While the forces that contribute to these disparities are complex, a growing body of research has revealed the staggering extent to which disparities pervade the entire health care system.
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Disparities in health:
Disparities in health refer to differences between two or more population groups in health outcomes and in the prevalence, incidence, or burden of disease, disability, injury, or death. (For specific research findings that document racial and ethnic disparities in health, see the Disparities in Health Quick Facts box to the right.)
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Disparities in health care:
Disparities in health care refer to the differences between two or more population groups in health care access, coverage, and quality of care, including differences in preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services. (For more findings that document racial and ethnic disparities in health care, see the Disparities in Health Care Quick Fact box below.)
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Distinguishing between the two concepts is important because different factors contribute to each. However, these factors are interrelated. For example, personal behavior and decisions about health, environmental factors, and genetics are factors that are known to contribute to disparities in health. Disparities in health care also contribute to disparities in health. Likewise, studies have found that factors such as discrimination, bias, language barriers, and preferences about health care practices contribute to disparities in health care. However, no single factor contributes more to disparities in health and health care than access to health care.
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Disparities in Access:
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When individuals have reliable, consistent access to health care, they have greater access to health monitoring and are more likely to receive screenings, timely diagnoses, and appropriate treatment of chronic diseases and conditions. However, racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately more likely than whites to be underinsured or to lack health insurance coverage altogether. For example, although racial and ethnic minorities constitute one third of the total U.S. population, they comprise more than one half (52 percent) of the uninsured population. In fact, in 2003, 23 million of the 45 million uninsured were racial and ethnic minority Americans.
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