Over the last 30 years, cancer mortality rates have fallen significantly,
1
but these benefits have not been experienced consistently across all populations
or geographical areas. The avoidable differences or disparities in cancer outcomes
are largely attributed to the historical and contemporary structures, processes, practices,
and policies that create or reinforce the inequitable allocation and accessibility
of resources, services, and opportunities, thereby hindering the attainment of the
highest level of health for all—health equity.
2
These inequities permeate the structural conditions in which people live, learn,
work, play, and age, known as the social determinants of health (SDOH).
3
Hence, the authors propose a move away from merely a disparities-centered research
to an equity agenda within the mission of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to account
for the social context(s) and need(s) of communities for cancer prevention and control
research. This paper argues for a more comprehensive and reflective cancer control
research approach, that is a health equity–conscious approach, where researchers avoid
pro forma and break from the traditional majority-centric health disparities research
paradigm.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: December 22, 2021
Identification
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Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
