Building a more equitable society: Psychology's role in achieving health equity

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines health disparities as "preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations." Health disparities are often the result of persistent unjust policies and discriminatory practices that increase the risk of vulnerable populations for poor health. Environmental, social, and behavioral factors-all areas of psychology's expertise-contribute to health disparities in interacting ways. This article describes health disparities, including the evidence for them, the role that psychology and the American Psychological Association (APA) can play in addressing the health disparities, and the work of the APA Presidential Task Force on Psychology and Health Equity, including the APA Resolution on Psychology and Health Equity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).