People With Behavioral Health Conditions (Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders) and Commercial Tobacco: Health Disparities and Ways to Advance Health Equity

At a glance

  • Everyone deserves a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This is called health equity.
  • Achieving health equity means addressing systemwide problems, unfair practices, and unjust conditions that have a negative impact on the health of specific groups.
four images of smiling asian, native hawaiian, and pacific islander people showing health equity and tobacco

Overview

In order to achieve health equity, we work to reduce health disparities. Health disparities are differences in health outcomes that are closely linked with social, economic, and environmental factors that affect people with behavioral health conditions. To improve health equity, we must consider the role of commercial tobacco.A

Continue reading

  1. "Commercial tobacco" means harmful products that are made and sold by tobacco companies. It does not include "traditional tobacco" used by Indigenous groups for religious or ceremonial purposes.