3  Overview

In order to fully understand the state of Connecticut’s health and health outcomes, it is imperative for this State Health Assessment to begin by describing our residents by those fundamental sociodemographics that contribute to certain populations experiencing a greater burden of ill health; the difference in these health outcomes on a population level are health disparities. The World Health Organization states that “what makes societies prosper and flourish can also make people healthy.” At a glance it would appear that Connecticut is doing well from a national perspective; America’s Health Rankings 2018 Annual Report reported that Connecticut is the third healthiest state in the country. But even when our society thrives there continue to be pockets of our people who experience worse health outcomes solely because they identify or pertain to historically underrepresented groups based on but not exclusive to sex and sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, or age.

Identifying who is at greatest risk for preventable health conditions is an important initial step toward identifying relevant health inequities and supporting health equity. And while these populations are defined by elements that are immutable, there are other populations of interest — immigrants and refugees, veterans, the formerly incarcerated, and people with mental health disorders — who also experience poor health outcomes disparately. Although the 2018 America’s Health Rankings Annual Report found that Connecticut is the third healthiest state in the nation, we must consider that it is also the most diverse state in New England; this greater diversity indicates a need for greater resources in order to respond more equitably. Each of these presents a different aspect of meeting the health needs of our communities, from having a competent and diverse workforce to removing language barriers.

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Where appropriate, this chapter provides comparisons between Connecticut, the New England region, and the United States.