what is a health disparity in simple terms?

Bailey Lares: A health disparity is a difference in a certain measure of health (for example, lifespan, or rates of lung cancer) between two different populations. The populations are usually different racial groups or lgbt versus straight people -- groups whose differences from each other don't directly have anything to do with health.For example, it's been found that people with lower income tend to have worse health than people with higher income -- that's a health disparity, because being poor by itself does not directly make you sicker. It only indirectly affects health because our system makes it harder for them to access health care, and because unhealthy foods are cheaper than healthy foods.People who smoke also tend to die sooner than nonsmokers, but this is not a health disparity because smoking directly causes disease....Show more