Health Disparities

Heath disparities are differences in the rates and outcomes of physical or mental health conditions, such as incidence, prevalence, and mortality rates, that are associated with social, economic, and environmental disadvantage. Population subgroups with differential risks may be delineated by identities and life circumstances, including but not limited to gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, immigration and refugee status, and geography. Such discrepancies can change over time according to shifts in resources and/or the stressors affecting particular groups. For example, whereas European Americans enjoyed a nearly 60% decline in heart disease between 1950 and 2000, rates for African Americans were largely unchanged during that time.

Illustrative Risk Factors

Race and Ethnicity

Scholars argue that stress associated with discrimination is a key risk factor for racial and ethnic ...

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