Issue of Health Equity – It’s not always only one factor that causes health disparities, it is a combination of factors.

Since its inception, more than 40 years ago, Healthy People has tracked the health of our nation and established 10 year, data-driven, goals for the nation to improve overall health and well-being. The main focus of the Healthy People’s Healthy People initiative is eliminating health disparities, achieving equity, and achieving health literacy to enhance health and well-being for everyone.

In order to achieve these goals, we must create equitable opportunities through the use of resources, investments and efforts to promote health. Each decade, the program has gained greater understanding of the factors that cause health disparities, the significance of social determinants of health and the significance of identifying health disparities and reporting them – all of which have contributed to this decade’s dedication to creating more effective content on health equity.

In the initial phase of Healthy People’s latest attempt to determine equity within this new concept, we conducted a review of peer-reviewed as well as gray research to determine the ways in which health equity is defined as conceptualized, measured, and conceptualized by health professionals in the public sector.

Through this examination of the environment we found that, while there are some differences in the specific definitions, there are commonalities in terms of equity conceptualization. When we looked at the various definitions of health equity Many publications mentioned the same words or phrases.

Issue of Health Equity

The goal is to achieve the “highest standard in health” for all and giving everyone people with the “opportunity” to achieve this and ensuring “absence of discrimination” are just a couple of examples. The variety of definitions suggests the need to create the common definition. Issue of Health Equity

A lot of work is still to be done, but the process of developing an agreed term for health equity seems to be progressing towards the correct direction.

While it’s a joy to see the common concept, determining the most effective method of measuring health equity hasn’t made the same positive improvement. As a community of public health we are still grappling in determining the most universally applicable measures of equity. Issue of Health Equity

Health researchers have for a long time used standard demographic identifiers for data collection. Bivariate analysis is typically used to improve, sharpen and refine the information we can derive from this information. However, we aren’t able to see all of the people in our study clearly enough, or in all their multivariate complexity.

While we continue to research health disparities, health equity measurement , and their interrelations, we have to add more nuance in how we perceive them as well as the elements that influence the health of an individual. Issue of Health Equity

As health professionals working for the goal of health equity, we have to be committed to the definition, identification and communicating the factors that impact health. A common understanding of the common terms and terminology that define health equity can in advancing efforts and collaboration to improve the health and well-being for everyone.

Without an unambiguous concept of what constitutes health equity then how do we know what criteria to measure? In addition, without such certainty, how can we be able to tell if we’re doing it right? Issue of Health Equity

Although the answers for these questions are being developed, one thing is for certain that we cannot tackle this on our own. We are aware that the elements that affect health outcomes go beyond the realm of public health in itself in this way, the understanding as well as the measurement and improvement of equity in healthcare is a collective responsibility of every profession. Issue of Health Equity

Healthy People 2030 includes its Social Determinants Framework is a means of studying the influences that influence the lives of individuals, their choices and ultimately, their health.

In the context of the pandemic we observed that pre-existing health conditions, age as well as vaccination history were all contributing factors to the severity the COVID-19 virus could be for the individual. What about the profession of the person? Issue of Health Equity

Are we able to fully consider the impact of local familial and social connections as well as access to pathways and trails for outdoor recreation at no cost or whether the people who were most affected from COVID-19 resided in a home that was freestanding or a multi-story apartments? What’s the connection between these social factors? These are issues that we should be able to continue exploring. Issue of Health Equity

We hope that the frameworks and tools provided in the report titled Addressing health Equity and the Social Determinants of Health Through Healthy People 2030 will aid public health professionals and others who are working on issues of equity – continue to study the importance of this data subject. Furthermore, Healthy People will continue to collect data on disparities to help inform these efforts , and to bring an array of state, national, and local level organizations with the same goal of improving the well-being and health of everyone. Issue of Health Equity

It requires a mutual knowledge of the issues we’re discussing regarding health equity, and agreeing on the criteria we’ll use to measure it and how we’ll do it, and the metrics which will show our progress towards reaching it. Issue of Health Equity

Then, we can progress towards our Healthy People 2030 vision – an environment where everyone is able to reach their full potential in terms of wellbeing and health throughout the lifespan. Issue of Health Equity