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Epidemiology of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health and Healthcare

  • Chapter
Eliminating Healthcare Disparities in America

Abstract

Disparities in health status and healthcare delivery have been documented in the United States throughout most of the past two centuries (1–3). More recently, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) (4) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (5) have confirmed that such disparities are pervasive but improvements are possible. Eliminating these disparities is one of the two over-arching goals of the Healthy People 2010 national public health agenda (6). In this endeavor, the availability of reliable, population-based indicators of disparities can be crucial for assessing the magnitude, trends, and impact of interventions designed to reduce and eventually eliminate disparities. These indicators can also serve to inform policy and program development, help set priorities, and assist in identifying areas in which additional research is needed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

    George A. Mensah M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.C., F.C.P. (SA) Hon Distinguished Scientist, Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, Chief Medical Officer)

  2. LCDR, U.S. Public Health Service, USA

    Dr. Maleeka J. Glover SCD, M.P.H. (Senior Research Scientist Officer—Epidemiologist)

  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

    Dr. Maleeka J. Glover SCD, M.P.H. (Senior Research Scientist Officer—Epidemiologist)

Authors
  1. George A. Mensah M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.C., F.C.P.
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  2. Dr. Maleeka J. Glover SCD, M.P.H.
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, USA

    Richard Allen Williams MD (Clinical Professor of Medicine, President/CEO and Chairman of the Board) (Clinical Professor of Medicine, President/CEO and Chairman of the Board)

  2. The Minority Health Institute, Inc., Los Angeles, California

    Richard Allen Williams MD (Clinical Professor of Medicine, President/CEO and Chairman of the Board) (Clinical Professor of Medicine, President/CEO and Chairman of the Board)

  3. Institute for the Advancement of Multicultural and Minority Medicine, Washington, DC

    Richard Allen Williams MD (Clinical Professor of Medicine, President/CEO and Chairman of the Board) (Clinical Professor of Medicine, President/CEO and Chairman of the Board)

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© 2007 Humana Press Inc.

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Mensah, G.A., Glover, M.J. (2007). Epidemiology of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health and Healthcare. In: Williams, R.A. (eds) Eliminating Healthcare Disparities in America. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-485-8_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-485-8_2

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-934115-42-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-485-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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