Community Engagement/Outreach Core

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Chronic diseases are on the rise among racial and ethnic minority youth and young adults. Prevalence disparities related to race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status persist or are widening(1). The concentration of risk factors and early onset conditions in young people are beginning to manifest as profoundly disturbing disparities in the rates of complications of chronic disease (stroke, amputation, kidney failure, heart failure,etc.) among middle-aged people. In addition, there is growing evidence that higher rates of chronic disease risk factors among mothers, such as obesity and glucose intolerance/pre-diabetes, may lead to "biologic programming" in utero, resulting in higher risks of chronic diseases in the next generation. This socioepidemiologic phenomenon has significant implications for the current and future physical, social, and emotional health of the affected populations. It affects their economic productivity, and the well-being of their families and communities. It also thwarts efforts to break negative life-course trajectories that relate disadvantage and discrimination to poor health.