Achieving Health Equity
Why health equity matters and what you can do to help ensure we all have the basics to be healthy.
In a Culture of Health, everyone has the opportunity to live a healthier life, no matter who we are, where we live, or how much money we make.
Personal responsibility plays a key role in health, but the choices we make depend on the choices we have available to us. While we can’t ensure that each of us will be healthy, we can make it much more possible for everyone to have the opportunity to make healthy choices, and for health to be much more accessible to all.
Across the nation, gaps in health are large, persistent and increasing. Health equity means everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be healthier. It acknowledges that it's hard to be healthy without access to good jobs, homes and schools. It requires concerted effort to increase opportunities to be healthier for everyone - especially those whose obstacles are greatest.
Learn more about the meaning of health equity and strategies to help foster effective discussion and engagement.
A scientific panel highlights nine communities working to advance health equity and what it takes to be successful.
A national program that strengthens and empowers boys and young men of color to heal, grow, and thrive.
Health equity is crucial to a vibrant nation. Unfortunately, many areas have experienced generations of isolation from opportunity. Policies and practices at every level have created deep-rooted barriers to good health. Because of this, far too many start behind, and stay behind.
At the same time, communities are increasingly recognizing that when there is health equity, all are better off. They are thinking in new ways about the many types of systems that influence health, from education and housing to transportation and public safety. And from parents and educators to health providers and business leaders, they are coming together around a shared vision of better health for all.
Everyone pursuing health equity has a story. We want to know yours. What inspires you? What successes are you seeing where you live? What does health equity look like?
Health is about much more than genetics and medical care. Research has shown that the conditions we face as we live, learn, work and play—what researchers call the social determinants of health—also have a lot to do with how healthy we are.
How does inequity play out in America today? Through:
Opportunities to lead a long and healthy life can vary dramatically by neighborhood.
Explore the maps
Many people don’t have access to parks, healthy food, clean air, safe streets, and health care, which contributes to obesity, asthma and diabetes.
Access to high-quality early childhood education can break the cycle of chronic stress that contributes to mental and physical problems later in life.
Research suggests that racism, spanning systems from medical care to housing and hiring to the criminal justice system, adversely affects health in multiple ways.
Household income is linked to health, even beyond racial and ethnic differences. See the charts on quality of health and life expectancy.
People with disabilities are at higher risk for chronic diseases. Learn about inclusion strategies. Discrimination against those who are LGBTQ contributes to poverty, homelessness, mental illness, and other stresses that affect health. Read about building acceptance.
For many households, high costs, dangers like lead and allergens, and a lack of safety contribute to poor health.
People in lower-status and lower-wage jobs are more likely to experience poor working conditions, compounding the burden of social disadvantage.
