Kansas Health Institute | Information For Policy Makers. Health for Kansans.

Significant health disparities exist between white Kansans and members of racial and ethnic minority groups in the state. Kansas minorities like minority populations nationwide are disproportionately affected by disease and by other health conditions caused, in part, by socioeconomic status and lack of access to quality health care.

Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Kansas: A Data and Chartbook gathers for the first time available data that document the breadth of health disparities at the state and county levels. It also sheds light on underlying causes and suggests options policymakers should consider to resolve health disparities in Kansas.

This report represents the results of the Kansas Turning Point Minority Health Disparities project, which was completed in collaboration with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Contents

The data and chartbook is divided into several sections. A description of each section and a link to that section is provided below. Most of the documents require Adobe Reader.

To obtain a copy, visit the Adobe Reader download page.

Report

The report is a narrative that covers a variety of topics including the history of race and ethnicity in health statistics; Kansas community perspectives on the causes and effects of health disparities; key issues of causality; and policy implications and recommendations. Health characteristics of each minority population in Kansas are included in the report, along with a focus on disparities by major disease conditions.

Select this link to review the report.

Appendices

The central work of the Kansas Turning Point project was to collect available data that would inform understanding of minority health disparities in the state. The appendices present the data gathered throughout the project. Eight separate appendices provide both summary data-at-a-glance findings as well as data at the state, population density, and/or county level when available. Topics include demographics, housing, education, crime, income and employment, disease and disability, births, deaths, and risk behaviors. Select the links below to view the appendices.

• Appendix A: Population Characteristics

• Appendix B: Housing Characteristics

• Appendix C: Social Determinants

• Appendix D: Income and Employment

• Appendix E: Disease and Disability Characteristics

• Appendix F: Births

• Appendix G: Deaths

• Appendix H : Risk Behaviors

Training Materials

An additional appendix, Appendix I, includes presentations shared during the community data training activities of the Turning Point project. The training materials were created in Microsoft PowerPoint. When the documents are opened directly from this Web site, the presentations appear in your browser. If Microsoft PowerPoint is available on your computer, you can view the presentations in that software by selecting the document link on the list below, then selecting "save" in the File Dialog Box. You will then need to navigate to the location of the saved file on your computer and re-open it. Select the links below to view the training materials.

• Concepts of Population-Based Health: Purpose and Terminology

• Data Resources

• Data Sources

• Displaying and Communicating Data (This is one file that has been divided for downloading.)

• Part 1: Displaying and Communicating Data

• Part 2: Displaying and Communicating Data

• Part 3: Displaying and Communicating Data

• Part 4: Displaying and Communicating Data

• Part 5: Displaying and Communicating Data

• Part 6: Displaying and Communicating Data

• Part 7: Displaying and Communicating Data

• Epidemiological Concepts

• Evaluation and Monitoring

• Technical Assistance

• Value of Data

Glossary

The glossary includes a list of terms and definitions used throughout the Data and Chartbook. Select the following link to view the glossary.

Internet Resources

This section provides the user with Web site links and information on minority health disparities. The Web resources are grouped alphabetically by relevant topic. Select the following link to view the Internet resources.

Topical Suggested Reading Lists

There is an abundance of literature on the topic of health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations. This information is provided for those who seek additional reading materials on topics discussed in the report. The topics include participatory research; discrimination and racism; cultural competency, language and workforce issues; and socioeconomics. The topics are followed by sections on African Americans, Native Americans, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics/Latinos. Select the following link to view the topical suggested reading lists.

Technical Notes

The technical notes section describes how the project team compiled the data presented in the appendices and includes frequently asked questions, primary data resources, and appendix-specific notes, as well as indicator definitions and cautions in using the data. Select the following link to view the technical notes.

Many of the files that make up this report are very large in size and may take time to download from the Internet. Therefore, Racial and Ethnic Minority Health Disparities in Kansas: A Data and Chartbook is also available on CD. To obtain a CD, send an e-mail stating your name, address, and the number of copies needed to mailbox@khi.org.