Racism and Health Flashcards
what is race?
race refers to the superficial physical characteristics such as skin colour, facial features, hair texture etc.
what is ethnicity?
ethnicity involves cultural characteristics such as language, beliefs, clothing, dietary practices etc.
what is discrimination?
unfair treatment based on belonging to (or being perceived as belonging to) a particular social group
what are some characteristics that can be discriminatory
- racial/ethnic group
- immigration status
- religion
- gender and sexual orientation
- social class
- disability
what is racism?
an organized system that ranks population groups and allocates resources preferentially based on race
*throughout history, belief in biological differences among races has been used to justify mistreatment
who is affected most by systemic racism?
- Blacks/ African Americans
- Latinos
- Indigenous
systemic racism puts them at economic and health disadvantage within society
what are the stats about race and hate crimes?
the motivation behind most hate crimes is hatred towards a particular race or ethnicity!!
what races/ethnicity experience the most discrimination?
highest = black, indigenous, south asian, chinese
lowest = white!!
4 types of racism
1) interpersonal
2) internalized
3) cultural
4) systemic and structural
what is interpersonal racism?
- occurs when a person’s conscious or subconscious racial bias influences their interactions and perceptions of other people
- most overt forms = micro-aggressions, violence, slurs
what is internalized racism?
- when a person believes and accepts negative messages about their own, and other’s, cultures and races, believing inferiority to others
what is cultural racism?
- societal beliefs, norms, and values that perpetuate the idea that one cultural group is superior/inferior to others
what is systemic/ structural racism?
refers to race-based inequities embedded within systems, laws, institutions and policies (written and unwritten) as a result of ongoing and historical injustice
–> structural focuses on just the structure (policies, laws)
–> systemic focuses more on the entire systems and their structure (all encompassing)
how can racism be understood as an iceberg?
- overt forms of racism, such as racial hate crimes, represent only the “tip of the iceberg”
–> ex: hate crimes - structural and institutional racism represent its base and cannot be easily observed
–> ex: residential segregation
examples of systemic and structural racism
- obstacles to home ownership
- residential racial segregation
- red-lining
- racial policing and sentencing practices
- environmental injustice
- unequal access to quality education
- Japanese internment camps
- Indigenous residential schools
what are causal pathways?
a series of sequential steps on how racism products disparities in health
what are the steps to how racism damages health?
these are listed from upstream to downstream! (left to right)
1) systemic racism
2) differential access to resources and opportunities
3) health harming (or lack of health promoting) behaviours or experiences
4) biological mechanisms
5) worse health outcomes among people of colour
what are the 4 major causal pathways that racism can harm health
1) putting people of colour at socioeconomic disadvantage
2) exposing people of colour to health-harming conditions and limiting their access to health-promoting resources and opportunities
3) exposing people of colour of all socioeconimc levels to racism-based chronic stress
4) disenfranchising and disempowering poeple of colour
what is causal pathway #1?
racial discriminatory barriers to economic resources and opportunities are a major pathway that racism impacts health
- racism makes it difficult for certain racial/ethnic groups to accumulate wealth
- economic disadvantage leads to poor living conditions, access to nutritious foods, education and health care
- ultimately leads to racial or ethnic disparities in health
what is causal pathway #2?
racism can harm health by increasing exposure to health-harming conditions and limiting access to health-promoting resources and opportunities
- racism leads to disproportionate exposure to environmental health hazards
- racial bias in policing, sentencing, and incarceration leading to abuse, violence
- racial residential segregation deprives people of health-promoting conditions (education, green space)
- racism leads to inequitable access to and quality of healthcare
what is causal pathway #3?
racism can lead to poorer health outcomes among people of colour due to chronic stress
- chronic stress lead to systemic inflammation and immune system dysregulation
- racism-related stress can lead to chronic disease like heart disease, diabetes, preterm birth
- compounded stressors (finances, segregation, policies) exacerbates stress
- stress can be passed on and inherited through future generations (adverse childhood experiences)
2 ways stress can lead to poor health
1) triggers physiological mechanisms that damage health (DIRECT)
2) increasing likelihood of health harming behaviours (INDIRECT)
what are the physiological mechanisms leading to poor health?
- the body’s response to stress begins in the brain
- it is triggers by acute and chronic stressors
- cortisol, a mediator of the stress response is released (can be protective or damaging dependent on the context and duration of the stressor)
- chronic stress and release of cortisol is damaging to bodily systems such inflammation and immune system dysregulation
what are the health behaviours leading to poor health?
attempts to cope with stressors can lead to unhealthy behaviours:
- eating unhealthy foods
- excessive alcohol intake
- inadequate physical activity
- smoking and drug abuse
