Race, Racism and Health

Question 1

Race as a Social Construct

-Social Construct

Answer 1

Social Construct = categories and value determined by society

Ex: Gender, Class, American identity, Some mental health outcomes, Money

Race is not biology or genetics; there is more genetic diversity within racial groups than between

The definition of race changes over time + place

Question 2

Theories of Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities:

Racial-Genetic Model
Health-Behavior Model
Socioeconomic Status Model
Psychosocial Stress Model
Structural-Constructivist Model

Answer 2

Racial-Genetic Model
Health-Behavior Model
Socioeconomic Status Model
Psychosocial Stress Model
Structural-Constructivist Model

Question 3

Framework for the study of racism and health

Answer 3

Basic Causes –> Social Status –> Proximal Pathways –> Responses –> Health

Basic causes = biology, geographic origins, societal institutions, racism

Social Status = SES, Race, Gender, age, marital status

Proximal Pathways = cultural transmission, tress, opportunities, resources, knowledge

Responses = behavioral patters, psychological responses

Question 4

Interpersonal Racism

Answer 4

Prejudice + negative attitudes
Discrimination - differential treatment based on race
I

Limitations of measuring: people interpret racist experiences differently
-how do we measure racism that is not acknowledged?

Health effects:
mental health, stress, bp, coping behaviors, access to health care

Question 5

Institutional Racism

Answer 5

Institutional = differential access to the goods, services, and opportunities of society by race

Past: slavery, jim crow laws, racial residential segregation

Present: colorblind policies that disproportionately affect black people (mass incarceration, predatory lending, voter id laws)

Question 6

Health Effects of Institutional Racism

Answer 6

Socioeconomic Status + Wealth:
–job opportunities, educational opportunities, intergenerational wealth, affordable housing

Racial Residential Segregation:

• -neighborhood effects (environmental racism, health behaviors, safety and crime)
• -access to health-related resources (health care, food deserts),
• -social capital

Collective Efficacy + Political Empowerment

Question 7

Internalized Racism

Answer 7

–Acceptance of negative messages by members of the stigmatized races.

• -Socioeconomic status effects
• -Mental health: stress & coping behaviors, unhealthy social norms

Question 8

Implicit Bias

Answer 8

Subconscious bias vs explicit bias
Different from racism, but bias leads to leads to it
Most Americans are implicitly biased against African Americans

Question 9

Policy Approaches

Answer 9

Health Disparities

• -health disparities reports
• -national institute of minority health + health disparities
• -Affordable Care Act

Anti-Racism Efforts

• -civil rights organizations and community based organizations
• -education policies and approaches