Root Causes of Inequity

Health is more than just healthcare or genes — it’s our ability to afford child care, support our youth, take part in work development opportunities, and so on. When we collaborate across sectors, share data and perspectives, and prioritize equitable approaches, we are better positioned to address these inequities effectively and affordably. These deeper, underlying factors are referred to as root causes. Root Causes are the underlying reasons that create the differences in health outcomes. They are the conditions in a community that determine whether people have access to the opportunities and resources they need to thrive. For example, the root cause of unequal allocation of power and resources creates unequal social, economic, and environmental conditions. Those conditions then lead to poorer health outcomes (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2017). To explore and understand more about the roots of health equity, please visit these links. Root Causes Fact Sheets: Getting to the Source of Inequity

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