Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations:

Dramatic and persistent health disparities have been described among

-- American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN): People having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment.

-- Asian American: People having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent.

-- Black or African American: People having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.

-- Hispanic or Latino: A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.

-- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI): People having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.

Note: Census 2000 adheres to the federal standards for collecting and presenting data on race and Hispanic origin as established by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in October 1997 and subsequent guidelines.  One of the most important changes for Census 2000 was the revision of the questions on race and Hispanic origin to better reflect the country’s growing diversity. The federal government considers race and Hispanic origin to be two separate and distinct concepts. In addition, Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders are counted as two separate and distinct racial groups. Because of these changes, the Census 2000 data on race are not directly comparable with data from the 1990 census or earlier censuses. Caution must be used when interpreting changes in the racial composition of the U.S. population over time.

Sources:

CDC’s Office of Minority Health (and Health Disparities), Definitions of Racial and Ethnic Populations, http://www.cdc.gov/omhd/populations/definitions.htm