Reducing and Eliminating Health Disparities with Information (REHDI) Initiative

Health Equity-Related Definitions

Health refers to a dynamic state of complete physical, mental, spiritual, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Public Health refers to what we as a society do collectively to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy.

Public Health 3.0 refers to a major upgrade in public health practice emphasizes cross-sector work to affect the social determinants of health and advance health equity. Public Health 3.0 challenges us to incorporate health into all areas of governance. It is led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH). It calls for us to boldly expand public health to address all aspects of life that promote health and well-being, including:

• Economic development
• Education
• Transportation
• Food
• Environment
• Housing
• Safe neighborhoods

Population Health refers to the health of a population as measured by health status indicators and as influenced by social, economic and physical environments, personal health practices, individual capacity and coping skills, human biology, early childhood development, and health services.

Social Determinants of Health refer to conditions in places where people are born, grow, live, play, work, and age that could affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes. These conditions are referred to as social determinants of health (SDOH). Examples include:

• Education
• Income
• Genetics
• Race/Ethnicity
• Social status
• Social support network
• Physical environment
• Gender

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/socialdeterminants/faq.html

Health Disparities refer to differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups e.g., within the United States.

Health Equity refers to all groups in a population having equal, fair, and just opportunities to attain their full health and well-being potential and quality of life.

Local Resources

• County of San Diego  HHSA Chronic Disease and Health Equity (CDHE)
  CDHE's mission is to promote wellness and prevention of illness, disability and premature death due to chronic diseases and health disparities.

• County of San Diego HHSA Community Health Statistics – Achieving Health Equity in San Diego
  The Community Health Statistics Unit developed key reports on the status of health equity in San Diego County e.g., race/ethnicity, age, geography, gender, socio-economic status.
  
  
• County of San Diego Healthy Equity Plan

• Public Health Services Materials/Resources, Including Those in Multiple Languages

State Resources

• California Department of Public Health, Office of Health Equity (OHE)
  OHE was established to provide a key leadership role to reduce health and mental health disparities to vulnerable communities.

• California Department of Public Health, California Office of Binational and Border Health (COBBH)
  COBBH was created “to facilitate cooperation between health officials and health professionals in California and Mexico, to reduce the risk of disease in the California border region and in those areas directly affected by border health conditions”.

• California Conference of Local Health Officers (CCLHO): Policy Platform on Health Equity and Climate Change
  CCLHO believes that all residents have a right to protection from avoidable health hazards that are beyond their control, whether naturally occurring or human made, unplanned or deliberate. Protection of the public’s safety and health is a fundamental responsibility of state and local government.

National Resources

• Health Equity Guide
• The National Association of County and Community Health Officials (NACCHO): Health Equity and Social Justice
  The goal of NACCHO's Health Equity and Social Justice Program is to advance the capacity of local health departments to confront the root causes of inequities in the distribution of disease and illness through public health practice and their organizational structure. The program's initiatives explore why certain populations bear a disproportionate burden of disease and mortality and what social arrangements and institutions generate those inequities, in order to design strategy to eliminate them.

• American Public Health Association (APHA): Health Equity
  Creating health equity   is a  guiding priority  and  core value  of APHA. APHA works with other sectors  to address the factors that influence health, including employment, housing, education, health care, public safety and food access.

• CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) – Health Equity
  NCCDPHP addresses health equity through its programs, research, tools and resources and leadership.

• The National Institute on Minority Health and Disparities (NIMHD)
  The mission of NIMHD is to lead scientific research to improve minority health and eliminate health disparities.

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Office of Minority Health (OMH)
  OMH is dedicated to improving the health of racial and ethnic minority populations through the development of health policies and programs that will help eliminate health disparities.

• American Medical Association
  The AMA is committed to addressing racial and ethnic health care disparities, through the Minority Affairs Section, the Health Care Disparities Program, and other initiatives.

• CDC – Social Determinants of Health
  The CDC recognizes the impact of social determinants of health throughout its programs and provides data and resources to identify and address health inequities caused by unhealthy social environments.

Global Resources

• The World Health Organization (WHO) – Social Determinants of Health Unit
  The WHO is a global champion for addressing social determinants of health guiding research and policy to support countries in taking action to address health inequities.

• WHO - Global Health Observatory Data, Health Equity Monitor
  Data are presented according to social, demographic, economic or geographical factors helping to identify vulnerable populations and target health policies, programs and practices.

• Millennium Development Goals
  The eight Millennium Development Goals form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions e.g., halting the spread of HIV/AIDS.

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a milestone document in the history of human rights. The UDHR was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948 and was the result of the experience of the Second World War.

Last updated September 11, 2019.