Health Issues

Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

The rich diversity of the American population represents one of our nation's great strengths, but a glaring weakness is reflected in the profound disparity in health status between America's racial and ethnic minorities and the European American, non-Hispanic population. Although recent advances in preventing, diagnosing, treating, and curing diseases have extended life expectancy and improved overall health for many Americans, there is compelling evidence that many racial and ethnic minority groups have not equally benefited from these advances. Compared with their nonminority counterparts, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and other racial and ethnic minorities suffer higher rates of morbidity and mortality from a wide range of illnesses and diseases.

There are six main areas in which serious disparities in health ...