The strategic presentation of information to a targeted audience in order to persuade that audience to action. Advocacy is often directed towards media groups and legislators, and differs from outreach in that it seeks to educate and influence those whose decisions either prevent or perpetuate disparities in health care and health education, not those who are affected by such decisions.

A community represents a distinct group within a population defined by a shared geographic, ethnic, or ideological identity. One community may be distinguished from another by a variety of criteria, including physical, historical, legal, cultural, socioeconomic, or self-imposed distinctions. Groups that demonstrate like socioeconomic characteristics are often called demographically homophilus communities.

Community-based activities take place at the physical geographic locations of community centers and homes, rather than in traditional health care setting such as hospitals and clinics.

A systematic attempt to provide services beyond conventional limits, as to particular segments of a community. Generally, outreach creates a link between the general public and health, educational, or social services by reducing language, cultural, and access barriers. Services can include educational programs, media geared toward education and awareness, on-location technical training or clinical services, evaluations and referrals, transportation services, and any activity designed to reduce access barriers to health resources. Many outreach-oriented events establish partnerships between the originating agencies, in this case the University of Connecticut Health Center, and other community, public, or state agencies seeking to address the same community issues. The term "outreach" does not necessarily require that all activities take place away from the main hospital location, but often a large percentage of efforts are directed to out-of-hospital activities.

The term public health is used in one of two ways. It is commonly used to refer to the general health of the population, much in the way that one might say "public awareness." Public health also refers to the specific population-based health science field that studies biostatistics, health administration, environmental health, health law, health policy, ethics, minority health, maternal and child health, injury and violence prevention, community nutrition, health education, infectious or chronic disease control, and other topics pertaining to entire populations or groups within a population, such as epidemiology, the study of the causes and transmission of disease within a population.

Underrepresented, as an adjective, describes groups whose presence in critical organizations, such as government, educational institutions, professions, etc., is disproportionately small in comparison to the general population distribution of persons with similar characteristics. The term first appeared in 1884 in describing the role of emancipated slaves in local, state, and federal government following the American Civil War.

Underserved persons are provided with inadequate services in relationship to others with similar needs. Underserved groups with related socioeconomic and demographic have recently occupied substantial political attention. These persons are most commonly underserved due to lack of adequate medical services and health care providers in the geographic area of residence, among other factors.

The Latin etymology of the word vulnerable, the Latin vulnerare "to wound," referred to a particular military weakness or potential physical danger for soldiers in battle. Modern uses of the word apply to immune systems that are unable to resist illness, debility, and failure, or situations in which persons may be easily persuaded to give in to a potentially dangerous situation. Lent to political adaptation, vulnerable populations exhibit a common characteristic of particular susceptibility: a greater likelihood of disease; a lack of proper medical care and education; or a heightened probability for another undesirable health care related result. The term carries a sense of urgency and the connotation of danger from its military roots.