The 1980s opened a discussion of the varying nature of health in different segments of the United States. Falling under the rubric of ‘health disparities’, a great deal of research has been published demonstrating the substantial differences in health status within a population. The causes of health disparities are varied and not always clear but most researchers agree that disparities are a reflection of social and economic inequities and political injustice. One of the obstacles to addressing disparities is the lack of meaningful health data especially for vulnerable populations, which is of ... More

The 1980s opened a discussion of the varying nature of health in different segments of the United States. Falling under the rubric of ‘health disparities’, a great deal of research has been published demonstrating the substantial differences in health status within a population. The causes of health disparities are varied and not always clear but most researchers agree that disparities are a reflection of social and economic inequities and political injustice. One of the obstacles to addressing disparities is the lack of meaningful health data especially for vulnerable populations, which is often nonexistent despite being a critical factor for informing health programs and policies at the local level. This book provides a model for combating health disparities by describing how local health information was gathered, with the community engaged at every step of the process, creating movement toward evidence-based sustainable change. This book describes how a landmark health survey in Chicago generated dramatic data that are allowing investigators throughout the city to move from data to action and from observation to intervention.