Preparing health educators to address health disparities: A descriptive study of graduate program characteristics

Health data and statistics related to gender, educational attainment, income or socioeconomic level, and race showcase a gap in the health outcomes and health status of subgroups of the U.S. population and as a result, achieving health equity and eliminating health disparities is an overarching goal of Health People 2020. It is imperative that health educators have skills and knowledge to address health disparities, but the problem is no set of guidelines, framework or best practices on how to prepare students to effectively address health disparities exists, and the treatment varies by program. The first step to developing such guidelines is to find out what graduate programs currently offer. This basic survey research provides a snapshot of the program and faculty characteristics in CEPH accredited MPH programs throughout the United States with a degree emphasis in health education and health promotion. Results from 37 programs across the U.S. indicate areas in which program offerings align with essential elements as well as those areas in which programming could be improved in order to better prepare health educators to address health disparities in their future professional roles. Recommendations for inclusion of coursework, program and faculty characteristics are discussed and recommendations for future research addressed.