Karishma S. Furtado (
Carol Brownson is a consultant at the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, in Atlanta, Georgia, and at the Prevention Research Center in St. Louis.
Health Aff (Millwood). 2018 Jan;37(1):38-46. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2017.1173.
Health equity is a public health priority, yet little is known about commitment to health equity in health departments, especially among practitioners whose work addresses chronic disease prevention. Their work places them at the forefront of battling the top contributors to disparities in morbidity and mortality. A random sample of 537 chronic disease practitioners working in state health departments was surveyed on health equity commitments, partnerships, and needed skills. A small percentage of respondents (2 percent) worked primarily on health equity, and a larger group (9 percent) included health equity as one of their multiple work areas. People who rated their work unit's commitment to health equity as high were more likely to engage with sectors outside of health and rate their leaders as high quality, and less likely to identify skills gaps in their work unit. Opportunities exist to more fully address health equity in state public health practice through organizational, institutional, and governmental policies, including those regarding resource allocation and staff training.
健康公平是公共卫生的重点，但人们对卫生部门对健康公平的承诺知之甚少，尤其是在那些从事慢性病预防工作的从业者中。他们的工作使他们处于对抗导致发病率和死亡率差异的主要因素的最前沿。对在州立卫生部门工作的 537 名慢性病从业者进行了健康公平承诺、伙伴关系和所需技能的随机抽样调查。一小部分受访者（2%）主要从事健康公平工作，而更大的群体（9%）将健康公平作为其多个工作领域之一。那些认为自己工作单位对健康公平的承诺程度较高的人更有可能与卫生部门以外的部门接触，并对其领导人的素质评价较高，而不太可能认为自己工作单位存在技能差距。通过组织、制度和政府政策，包括资源分配和人员培训方面的政策，有机会在州公共卫生实践中更充分地解决健康公平问题。
