Integrating Equity in a Public Health Funding Strategy

Objective: Equity can be valuable to guide decision makers about where to target funds; however, there are few studies for modeling vertical equity in public health program funding strategies. This case study modeled vertical equity in the funding strategy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Colorectal Cancer Control Program. Design: To integrate vertical equity by using historical funding and health data, we (a) examined the need for colorectal cancer screening, (b) conducted multiple regressions to examine the relationship between factors of need and funding of states, (c) stratified states into similar need groups, (d) estimated vertical equity within groups, and (e) assessed equity in the funding distribution. Results: Certain states with similar needs had high relative funding, whereas other states with similar needs had low relative funding. Conclusion: The methods used to integrate vertical equity in this case study could be applied in publicly funded programs to potentially minimize inequities and improve outcomes.