As we strive to improve public health, a focus on health equity is essential. Healthy People 2030 emphasizes eliminating health disparities, achieving health equity, and attaining health literacy to enhance the health and well-being of all.
Social determinants such as structural racism and systemic bias can impact health literacy and contribute to health disparities. Addressing these issues is key to achieving health equity.
Healthy People 2030 offers resources to help individuals, organizations, and communities committed to improving health and well-being advance health equity.
Health equity means achieving the highest level of health for all people. This requires ongoing societal efforts to address avoidable inequalities, injustices, and social determinants of health.
Addressing health inequities requires understanding and tackling the root causes, which are deeply embedded in our social and economic systems. Here are the key causes:
Poverty, racism, and other forms of discrimination lead to unequal access to resources such as housing, education, and healthcare. These inequalities create barriers to health and well-being.
Stable, affordable housing is a cornerstone of health. Lack of access to quality housing forces individuals into precarious living conditions, impacting both their physical and mental health.
Health systems are beginning to address the non-medical needs of their patients, but there is still a gap in access to quality healthcare services, especially for marginalized communities.
Factors such as education, employment, and community safety play a significant role in health outcomes. Addressing these determinants requires systemic change at the policy and community levels.
Racism and other forms of discrimination are deeply rooted in our institutions, leading to disparities in health outcomes. Dismantling these systemic issues requires more than just surface-level interventions.
Health inequities are perpetuated by policies and structures that prioritize profit over people. Transformative change involves challenging and changing these policies to promote equity and justice.