This fact sheet provides information about some of the major health indicators for the population in Colorado. Like other communities of color, American Indians experience some differences in health, risk factors and behaviors in comparison to other population groups. The data presented show comparisons between the American Indians population and the State’s population as a whole and identifies where there are differences.

Race, Ethnicity and Health, Second Edition, is a critical selection of hallmark articles that address health disparities in America. It effectively documents the need for equal treatment and equal health status for minorities. Intended as a resource for faculty and students in public health as well as the social sciences, it will be also be valuable to public health administrators and frontline staff who serve diverse racial and ethnic populations. The book brings together the best peer reviewed research literature from the leading scholars and faculty in this growing field, providing a historical and political context for the study of health, race, and ethnicity, with key findings on disparities in access, use, and quality. This volume also examines the role of health care providers in health disparities and discusses the issue of matching patients and doctors by race. New chapters cover: reflections on demographic changes in the US based on the current census; metrics and nomenclature for disparities; theories of genetic basis for disparities; the built environment; residential segregation; environmental health; occupational health; health disparities in integrated communities; Latino health; Asian populations; stress and health; physician/patient relationships; hospital treatment of minorities; the slavery hypertension hypothesis; geographic disparities; and intervention design.

It is generally conceded that there are significant disparities in health and health care based on a person's racial and ethnic background. Infant mortality rates for black babies remain nearly two-and-one-half times higher than for whites. The life expectancy for black men and women remains at nearly one decade fewer years of life compared with their white counterparts. Rates of death attributable to heart disease, stroke, prostate and breast cancer remain much higher in black populations. Diabetes disease rates are more than 30 percent higher among Native Americans and Hispanics than among whites. Minorities remain grossly under-represented in the health professions workforce relative to their proportions in the population. In addition, despite a large and growing body of scientific evidence, many patients and providers remain unaware that racial and ethnic health care disparities are a problem and perceptions about health care inequalities vary between minorities and whites. closing the disparity gap. This book presents new research focusing on these disparities.

Racial and ethnic disparities in health care are known to reflect access to care and other issues that arise from differing socioeconomic conditions. There is, however, increasing evidence that even after such differences are accounted for, race and ethnicity remain significant predictors of the quality of health care received. In Unequal Treatment, a panel of experts documents this evidence and explores how persons of color experience the health care environment. The book examines how disparities in treatment may arise in health care systems and looks at aspects of the clinical encounter that may contribute to such disparities. Patients' and providers' attitudes, expectations, and behavior are analyzed. How to intervene? Unequal Treatment offers recommendations for improvements in medical care financing, allocation of care, availability of language translation, community-based care, and other arenas. The committee highlights the potential of cross-cultural education to improve provider-patient communication and offers a detailed look at how to integrate cross-cultural learning within the health professions. The book concludes with recommendations for data collection and research initiatives. Unequal Treatment will be vitally important to health care policymakers, administrators, providers, educators, and students as well as advocates for people of color.

Disparities in health and health care across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds in the United States are well documented. The reasons for these disparities are, however, not well understood. Current data available on race, ethnicity, SEP, and accumulation and language use are severely limited. The report examines data collection and reporting systems relating to the collection of data on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic position and offers recommendations.