WED-035 - If It's Not Measured, It's Not Managed: Exposing Health Disparities Between Missouri and Massachusetts
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM PST
Location: Plaza Foyer, Plaza Level
Area of Responsibility: Area I: Assessment of Needs and Capacity Keywords: Epidemiology@@@Health Disparities@@@Health Equity, Subcompetencies: 1.2.4 Procure secondary data., 1.4.1 Compare findings to norms, existing data, and other information. Research or Practice: Research
MPH Student University of Missouri-Columbia Saint Charles, Missouri, United States
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to compare at least three key mortality indicators between Missouri and Massachusetts, understanding how state-level differences contribute to health inequities.
By the end of the presentation, describe the methodology and challenges related to procuring secondary data for assessing health disparities between and withing states.
By the end of the presentation, participants should be able to propose at least two evidence-informed policy or practice interventions that could reduce mortality.
Brief Abstract Summary: Learn about the stark difference between Missouri and Massachusetts mortality and health statistics.
Detailed abstract description: This project highlights health inequities and identifies social justice concerns by examining racial differences in mortality between and within Missouri and Massachusetts. We gathered descriptive statistics from publicly available data sources such as HD Pulse, CDC Wonder, America’s Health Rankings, SparkMap, and March of Dimes. For comparisons, we calculated ratios and differences between states and across racial categories. We found substantial differences between Missouri and Massachusetts in premature death, infant mortality, child mortality, teen births, firearm fatalities, and all-cause mortality. We also uncovered stark disparities between Black and White individuals in several mortality and maternal-child health indicators in both states. We explored contributors to health disparities such as public health funding and health insurance coverage likely contribute to these disparities. Analyzing and describing health disparities demands careful data mining from available sources, especially as access to reliable data becomes increasingly limited.
