Skip directly to search Skip directly to A to Z list Skip directly to navigation Skip directly to page options Skip directly to site content

Reaching for Health Equity

Large group of people Reducing health disparities brings us closer to reaching health equity. Learn about health equity and what CDC is doing to reduce health disparities.

What is Health Equity?

Health equity is when everyone has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

What Are Health Disparities?

Health disparities are differences in health outcomes and their causes among groups of people. For example, African American children are more likely to die from asthma compared to non-Hispanic White children. Reducing health disparities creates better health for all Americans.

Why is Health Equity Important?

Health is central to human happiness and well-being and is affected by where people live, learn, work, and play. According to the World Health Organization, health also makes an important contribution to economic progress.

Infographic: Reaching for Health Eqauity. Reducing health disaprities brings us closer to reaching health equity.Programs designed to reduce health disaprities.

What are some things that CDC is Doing?

Some CDC-sponsored programs aim to improve the health of groups or populations affected by health disparities:

Learn more about these programs in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Supplement, Strategies for Reducing Health Disparities—Selected CDC-Sponsored Interventions, United States, 2016.

  • Page last reviewed: February 29, 2016
  • Page last updated: February 29, 2016
  • Content source:
TOP