Striving toward health equity in the Americas

Abstract

The Americas is the region where the largest socioeconomical disparities are found, as well as health inequities between countries and within countries among minority and excluded population groups. These health inequities are refl ected in diff erences in life expectancy; health at the start of life and over the life course; burden of infectious as well as noncommunicable diseases; health behaviors such as smoking, alcohol and drug use; and accidents, violence, and confl ict. Low-income groups, informal workers, lower educational level population, indigenous peoples, people of African descent, and other groups in situations of vulnerability in the Americas are at an enormous disadvantage and face considerable health inequities, reflected in higher rates of both communicable and noncommunicable diseases and maternal and infant mortality. PAHO has committed to work toward reducing health inequities, refl ected in its Policy on Ethnicity and Health, the Strategy and Plan of Action on Health Promotion within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals 2019–2030, and the Policy for Recovering Progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals with Equity through Action on the Social Determinants of Health and Intersectoral Work.