Understanding Racial-ethnic Disparities in Health: Sociological ContributionsPosted in Articles, Health/Medicine/Genetics, Media Archive, Social Science, United States on 2011-12-09 04:22Z by Steven |
Understanding Racial-ethnic Disparities in Health: Sociological Contributions
Journal of Health and Social Behavior
Volume 51, Number 1 Supplement (November, 2010)
pages S15-S27
DOI: 10.1177/0022146510383838
David R. Williams
Harvard University
Michelle Sternthal
Harvard University
This article provides an overview of the contribution of sociologists to the study of racial and ethnic inequalities in health in the United States. It argues that sociologists have made four principal contributions. First, they have challenged and problematized the biological understanding of race. Second, they have emphasized the primacy of social structure and context as determinants of racial differences in disease. Third, they have contributed to our understanding of the multiple ways in which racism affects health. Finally, sociologists have enhanced our understanding of the ways in which migration history and status can affect health. Sociological insights on racial disparities in health have important implications for the development of effective approaches to improve health and reduce health inequities.
Read the entire article here.