What describes inequities in health?

• A. Genetic differences in disease susceptibility.
• B. Random variation in health outcomes.
• C. Unfair differences in health outcomes across different population groups.
• D. Differences in healthcare funding between regions.

Answer: (C)

Inequities in health are about unfair and avoidable differences in health outcomes that occur between population groups because of social and structural factors, such as income, education, Indigenous status, and geography, rather than from biology or luck alone. This means that when some groups consistently experience worse health because of the opportunities and resources available to them, those differences are considered inequitable. The description that best captures this is differences in health outcomes across different population groups that are unfair and avoidable. Genetic differences describe natural variation in disease risk and aren’t by themselves about fairness. Random variation is just chance, not tied to structural disadvantage. Differences in healthcare funding between regions reflect resource allocation, which can influence outcomes, but inequities focus on the unfair health differences themselves across groups.