Health Disparities

There are varying definitions of health disparities, or healthcare inequality, within the healthcare community. Generally, a health disparity is defined as a substantial difference [Page 196]in health between one population and another. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines health disparities as “the differences between groups of people that can affect how frequently a disease affects a group, how many people get sick, or how often the disease causes death.” The NIH identifies the different populations influenced by health disparities as “racial and ethnic minorities; residents of rural areas; women, children, the elderly; and persons with disabilities.” Similarly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines health disparities as “differences in the incidence, prevalence, and mortality of a disease and the related adverse health ...