Work

CLASSIFICATION OF RACE AND ETHNICITY: Implications for Public Health

Year: 2002

Type: review

Abstract: Emerging methods in the measurement of race and ethnicity have important implications for the field of public health. Traditionally, information on race and/or ethnicity has been integral to our understanding of the health issues affecting the U.S. population. We review some of the complexities created by new classification approaches made possible by the inclusion of multiple-race assessment in the U.S. Census and large health surveys. We discuss the importance of these classification decisions in understanding racial/ethnic health and health care access disparities. The trend toward increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the United States will put further pressure on the public health industry to develop consistent and useful approaches to racial/ethnic classifications.

Source: Annual Review of Public Health

DOI: 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.24.100901.140927

Authors: Vickie M. Mays, Ninez A. Ponce, Donna L. Washington, Susan D. Cochran

Institutions: University of California, Los Angeles, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System

Language: English

Topic: Race, Genetics, and Society

Subfield: Anthropology

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse