Health Equity Movement in the U.S. is Growing

ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Disparities Reducing Advances Project (DRA Project) led by the Institute for Alternative Futures has released the State of the Health Equity Movement, 2011 Update. This set of reports brings attention to the often unnoticed but growing trend of policy decisions, administrative actions, and community efforts seeking health equity -- fair access to health resources and a fair distribution of health outcomes.

In the United States, awareness of health inequalities and commitment to pursue health equity are both increasing, despite the worst economic conditions in 80 years. Economic conditions threaten to worsen the unfair distribution of health outcomes. Yet efforts and specific recommendations for health equity continue to grow. The 2011 Update reports provide a convenient resource that identifies 159 different health equity activities and 79 sets of recommendations from local, state, national, and international reports.

The 2011 Update notes that many of the recommendations focus on:

• Early childhood investment
• Education
• Active living, housing, transportation, and the environment
• Healthy eating and behaviors
• Employment
• Law enforcement/criminal justice
• Health care
• Community and interagency collaboration

This breadth of areas reflects the growth in "Health in All Policies" thinking and analysis among community groups and governments at all levels, calling for each sector to contribute to the quality of the nation's health.

The 2011 Update also identifies the following recurring strategic themes across activities and recommendations:

• Increasing awareness of health inequities and the social determinants of health
• Advocacy and leadership for health equity and social justice
• Emphasizing community empowerment
• Increasing collaborative partnerships with all sectors
• The need to coordinate and utilize research and outcome evaluations more effectively

The State of the Health Equity Movement, 2011 Update consists of Part A: Overview, Part B: Catalog of Activities, and Part C: Compendium of Recommendations. All three reports and other DRA Project publications are available at www.altfutures.org/draproject.

The Institute for Alternative Futures (IAF) is a nonprofit research and educational organization that helps communities and organizations more wisely understand and create the futures they prefer.  For more information, visit www.altfutures.org. The Disparity Reducing Advances Project is a multi-year, multi-stakeholder project developed and led by IAF to identify and accelerate advances that would achieve health equity.  DRA Project Partners include health care systems, local providers, major federal government agencies, technology developers, and consumer and patient organizations. For more information, visit www.altfutures.org/draproject.

SOURCE Institute for Alternative Futures