Health equity is achieved when every person has the opportunity to “attain his or her full health potential” and no one is “disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances.” Health inequities are reflected in differences in length of life; quality of life; rates of disease, disability, and death; severity of disease; and access to treatment.
One of the primary goals of CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) is to achieve health equity by eliminating health disparities and achieving optimal health for all Americans. NCCDPHP addresses health equity through its programs, research, tools and resources, and leadership.
Follow the links below to access select information from NCCDPHP on health equity and racial/ethnic disparities.
Promoting Health Equity: A Resource to Help Communities Address the Social Determinants of Health[PDF–5.7MB]
This workbook is for community-based organizations, public health practitioners, and community health partners seeking to create health equity by addressing the social determinants of health.
Social Determinants of Health Maps
These maps of selected social determinants of health, including poverty, unemployment, education, urban/rural, race, ethnicity, etc., provide information to be used in tandem with other data sources to match heart disease and stroke prevention programs and policies to the needs of local populations.
Data Set Directory of Social Determinants of Health at the Local Level
This directory contains an extensive list of existing data sets that can be used to address the social determinants of health. The data sets are organized according to 12 dimensions, or broad categories, of the social environment.
