Strategic Plan on Minority Health Disparities

Abstract

Healthy People 2010 has two major goals: to increase the quality and years of life and to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health status based on the premise that “the health of the individual is inseparable from the health of the larger community” (Dr. David Satcher, Surgeon General, Partnerships for Health in the New Millenium conference, January 2000). Although our information on the health status of African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asian-Americans, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders is not as complete as the data we have on the white, non-Hispanic population, it is evident that these groups experience much higher risks and poorer health status than the general population. It also appears that the disparities are growing both with regard to premature death and to general well-being and quality of life. The comparisons to the white population presented on the following page provide data on a few of these disparities.