Health Disparities

Did You Know? is a weekly feature from the Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support to inform your prevention activities. We invite you to read, share, and take action!

View the Current Did You Know?

May 5, 2017

Although African Americans overall are living longer, younger African Americans are living with or dying of many conditions more common at older ages.
African Americans aged 18–49 years are twice as likely to die [PDF-793KB] from heart disease as whites, and African Americans aged 35–64 years are 50% more likely to have high blood pressure than whites.
Public health professionals can use proven programs to reduce disparities and barriers to create opportunities for improving health.

April 28, 2017

About 1 in 7 US children aged 2–8 years has a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder, such as anxiety, learning problems, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Kids who have these disorders and live in rural areas face personal, financial, and neighborhood challenges more often than those who live in urban areas.
Rural children and their parents might need additional support from states, healthcare systems, and primary care providers—here’s how to help them thrive.

April 14, 2017

Stroke can happen to anyone, but African-Americans and Hispanics face more prevention challenges and are more likely to have a stroke.
About 1 in 3 US adults has high blood pressure. African-Americans have higher rates than do whites or Hispanics, and they tend to develop high blood pressure at an earlier age.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Use CDC’s resources to make a difference in your community.

February 17, 2017

Americans living in rural areas are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke than Americans in urban areas.
Compared with urban residents, rural residents are more likely to smoke, be overweight, and not meet physical activity recommendations.
You can find ways to help reduce the difference between rural and urban disease risk in a special MMWR series and in Healthy People 2020.

January 13, 2017

Native Americans are twice as likely as whites to have diabetes. For 2 in 3 Native Americans with kidney failure, diabetes is the cause.
Kidney failure from diabetes dropped 54% among Native Americans between 1996 and 2013.
Implementing a population health and coordinated team approach to diabetes care has been shown to reduce diabetes-related kidney failure.

July 15, 2016

Cigarette smoking is the number one risk factor for lung cancer, and African American men have the highest rates of lung cancer in the United States.
Menthol cigarette smoking is highest among African Americans—a likely effect of targeted marketing by the tobacco industry.
To learn more about tobacco-related behaviors and disparities among African Americans, read the new supplement in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

November 20, 2015

Genes are not the only factors that impact health. The conditions in which people live, work, and play affect a wide range of health and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.
CDC programs partner with communities to address social factors that can influence health, such as housing, education, and transportation.
Public health practitioners can access many resources, such as a toolkit for addressing obesity disparities, on the new Social Determinants of Health website.

May 8, 2015

According to this month’s Vital Signs, on average, 1 in 3 Hispanics in the US don’t speak English well, which limits their ability to understand health information in English.
Hispanics are 50% more likely to die from diabetes or liver disease than non-Hispanic whites.
Health professionals can collaborate with promotores (community health workers) to help Hispanics get appropriate educational materials in Spanish and to learn about their specific risk factors.

December 19, 2014

Your race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and whether you graduate from high school may influence how healthy you are—find out why.
The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends high school completion programs for students at risk for not getting their diplomas, and for improving health equity.
You can access helpful materials on promoting health equity through education programs and policies.

July 18, 2014

Traffic-related air pollution is highest near major roads. In 2010, 5.0% of Hispanics, 5.4% of Asians/Pacific Islanders, and 5.1% of foreign-born persons lived within 150 meters of a major highway (vs. 3.7% of the overall US population).
Exposure to traffic-related air pollution leads to asthma attacks and may lead to onset of childhood asthma, other respiratory symptoms, and cardiovascular disease and death.
Improved access to alternative transportation, financial incentives to reduce traffic, diesel retrofitting, and other measures could help reduce exposure to traffic emissions.

December 13, 2013

CDC’s new Health Disparities and Inequalities Report—United States, 2013 reveals how characteristics such as race, ethnicity, education level, geography, and disability status can affect one’s risk for disease and premature death.
The report shows that by 2010, the preterm birth rate for black infants had declined to the lowest level ever reported (17%), but remained about 60% higher than the preterm birth rate for white and Asian/Pacific Islander infants.
Health department staff can use the information in this report [PDF-3.7MB] to help communities eliminate disparities among groups that experience a disproportionate burden of disease, disability, and death.

April 15, 2011

Minority health and school food are linked; learn how.
Black females and Mexican-American males experience the highest rates of obesity among people ≤20 years.
The HHS Disparities Action Plan, released last week, promotes evidence-based and integrated approaches to achieving health equity.

April 8, 2011

More than 400,000 teenagers aged 15 to 19 years give birth each year in the United States.
CDC supports innovative domestic research to prevent unintended teen pregnancy.
CDC also addresses disparities in teen pregnancy and birth rates as part of the President’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative.

January 14, 2011

CDC released the CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report – United States, 2011 on January 13, 2011.
A key social determinant of health, early learning opportunities create a critical foundation for children’s academic success, health, and well-being, yet not all children are benefiting equally.
The Guide to Community Preventive Services has evidence-based recommendations for promoting health through early childhood development programs.