An APHA survey finds support remains high for DEI work in public health.
Courtesy Jacob Wackerhausen, iStockphoto
Despite repeated attempts to erase it, work on diversity, equity and inclusion remains an important part of public health, a recent APHA survey shows.
Conducted last summer by the Association's Center for Public Health Policy, the poll asked about 500 public health professionals to weigh in on the Trump administration's opposition to DEI principles, which support the fair treatment and full participation of all people. The APHA poll measured the impact that federal polices under Trump have had on DEI public health work and research.
Since taking office in January 2025, President Trump has used his office to eliminate federal staff and programs working on the subject, cut funding for research and purge related language from federal sources, among other measures.
Half of the survey respondents — who work in a range of public health settings, including health departments, nonprofits and academia — said their organization noticed decreased support for DEI work in the six months after Trump took office. Funding limits were a roadblock for 57% of public health workers, as were legal or legislative limits, which impacted 59%.
Even so, the barriers are not stopping public health professionals from continuing their work on health equity, which is a core part of public health. Eighty percent of survey respondents said their organization remains committed to improving the health of marginalized communities, with strong support from leadership. Ninety percent said they felt confident enough in their knowledge and skills to center DEI and accessibility in their work.
While public health professionals remain committed, the way they go about their work has shifted, according to Quinyatta Mumford, DrPH, MPH, a member of an APHA workgroup on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion and chair of APHA's Public Health Education and Health Promotion Section.
“In some states, public health is under extreme scrutiny, so the public health associations (have) to walk very sensitively,” Mumford told The Nation's Health.
Public health workers in Arkansas, where Mumford leads Village Public Health, a nonprofit that empowers youth to make a positive impact in their community, have had to step carefully, she said. At least one organization in the state opted to remove terminology from its website rather than attract notice from opponents, she noted.
Part of the problem may be that some people do not understand what DEI work is. A 2024 poll by the American Association for Public Opinion Research found the majority of Americans supported the underlying ideas of diversity, equity and inclusion, but were skeptical when the acronym “DEI” was used.
Researchers, for example, found most Americans supported having workplaces with a range of people, equitable sharing of power in community meetings and including people of all backgrounds. But when the acronym or the words “diversity, equity and inclusion” were used, support fell drastically.
For APHA resources on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, visit https://bit.ly/aphadeia.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
