Environmental equity and health: understanding complexity and moving forward

Area of Science:

• Population health
• Environmental health
• Health equity

Background:

• Environmental hazards are unevenly distributed across racial/ethnic groups, social classes, ages, genders, and sexualities.
• Existing research has not fully examined the health implications of these disparities across all populations, regions, and age groups.
• The determinants of environmental inequities require further critical investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the distribution of environmental hazards using a population health perspective.
• To examine the health implications of these distributions for various demographic groups.
• To identify research gaps concerning environmental inequities and their health effects.

Main Methods:

• Population health perspective framework.
• Analysis of environmental hazard distribution by race/ethnicity, social class, age, gender, and sexuality.
• Review of existing scientific evidence on environmental inequities and health disparities.

Main Results:

• African American, Native American, Latino, and Asian American/Pacific Islander communities bear a disproportionate burden of environmental hazards.
• This unequal burden is linked to documented racial/ethnic health disparities.
• Gaps exist in understanding the health effects across different environments (built/natural, urban/rural, indoor/outdoor).

Conclusions:

• Critical examination of environmental hazards distribution and health impacts is necessary.
• Further research is needed to address inclusiveness and fill gaps in scientific evidence.
• Understanding the determinants of environmental inequities is crucial for promoting health equity.