Minority Health

Even though minority women have many of the same health problems as White women, they are in poorer health. Minority women use fewer health services and suffer more from disease, disabilities, and early death. Many also face huge social, economic, and cultural barriers to having life-long good health. Also, because minority groups are diverse, even within each group, access to health care, health behaviors, and health status can vary widely. Please keep in mind that the information in this section doesn't include every health problem that women in these groups face. However, this section does address health issues of greater concern to each of the minority groups.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working to help remove racial and ethnic disparities in health. HHS has several programs and resources devoted to improving the health of minority women, such as the Indian Women's Health Initiative and the Office of Minority and Women's Health in the National Center for Infectious Diseases.