The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is the nation’s principal health statistics agency, providing data to identify and address health issues. NCHS compiles statistical information to help guide public health and health policy decisions.

Collaborating with other public and private health partners, NCHS uses a variety of data collection mechanisms to obtain accurate information from multiple sources. This process provides a broad perspective on the population’s health, in uences on health, and health outcomes.

Improving the health of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States continues to be a public health priority. Despite decades of effort disparities persist, and changes in the racial and ethnic composition of the population have important consequences for

the nation’s health. NCHS data have long documented disparities in a wide range of health indicators including life expectancy, infant mortality, a variety of risk factors, health insurance coverage, access to care, and use of health care services.

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factsheet_disparities.pdf

Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library collection

United States