 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Emmanuel M. Ngui, DrPH, MS, Department of Maternal & Child Health, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 7400, 400 Rosenau Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7400, (919) 431-1639, engui@email.unc.edu and Paul A. Buescher, PhD, State Center for Health Statistics - North Carolina, 1908 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1908.
Although the second goal of the Healthy People 2010 calls for the elimination of health disparities, there is little consensus at the state level on how to measure and monitor these disparities. Monitoring racial and ethnic disparities is especially challenging for several reasons: First, there is often no comprehensive documentation of racial and ethnic disparities or a clear vision on what can be done to address these disparities. Second, most state data systems can only be used to monitor the tip of the "disparity iceberg" (morbidity and mortality) but not the underlying causes. Third, there are no standard criteria for choosing disparity measures, reference groups, and targets and the choices are at times controversial. This session will use data from the "Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in North Carolina Report Card" to give an overview of racial and ethnic disparities in the state and will discuss the development of the health disparities report card. Emphasis will be given to the challenges encountered in choosing key indicators, determining the comparison group, and establishing the grading system. We will also discuss the implications of using report cards to monitor health disparities at the state level.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Health Disparities, Minority Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.