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Race, Ethnicity, and Health in a Global Context

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Handbook of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Race/ethnic disparities in health exhibit similar and consistent patterns across time and geography in industrialized countries. Across countries such as the USA, the UK, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, and Australia the health of non-whites is poorer than that of whites for multiple markers of health status and disease states. Such disparities in health violate norms of equal opportunity and systematically restrict the quality of life and productive capacity of many individuals. In this chapter we discuss historical and contemporary definitions and uses of the concepts of race and ethnicity for classifying groups of people with similar ancestral origins in industrialized countries with diverse populations. We provide examples of the ways in which health status varies by race and ethnicity. Additionally, we discuss some of the potential mechanisms, including socioeconomic status, discrimination, racism, stress, medical care, and immigration, through which race and ethnicity may differentially affect health. Future research must incorporate life course approaches and elucidate biological pathways through which social determinants affect health differentially by race/ethnicity. Additionally, future research efforts must proceed with greater emphasis on ensuring accuracy in the collection and use of race/ethnic data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, Center for Integrative Approaches to Health Disparities, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 109 South Observatory St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Shawn D. Boykin (Research fellow)

  2. Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, 6th Floor, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    David R. Williams (Professor of African and African American Studies and of Sociology)

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  1. Shawn D. Boykin
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Correspondence to Shawn D. Boykin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. St Georges Hospital Medical School, Dept. Psychology, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE, United Kingdom

    A. Steptoe

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Boykin, S.D., Williams, D.R. (2010). Race, Ethnicity, and Health in a Global Context. In: Steptoe, A. (eds) Handbook of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-09488-5_23

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