Race and health disparities in medical outcomes

Race and Health

In a study published in the August 01, 1994 issue of Health Services Research, David Williams concludes that race is a gross indicator of distinctive histories and specific conditions of life that relate to health services and patterns of medical care (Williams pp). Employed African-Americans are more likely than whites to be exposed to occupational hazards and carcinogens, and according to another study, darker-skinned African-Americans in the United States are twice as likely to experience racial discrimination as their lighter-skinned peers (Williams pp). Darker color appears to be a social characteristic predictive of less access to economic and social resources (Williams pp).

According to G. Beckles, in the June 01, 2003 issue of Diabetes, racial and ethnic minorities and persons of lower socioeconomic position have worse long-term diabetes outcomes (Beckles pp). Conclusions of Beckles' study revealed that there were few ethnicity related disparities in processes of diabetes care, however nonwhites, especially African-Americans, had poorer control of some risk factors (Beckles pp). Yet, Beckles notes that enhanced access to care in managed care settings may attenuate many previously observed socioeconomic and racial disparities in diabetes care (Beckles pp)..

According to the October 5, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, although data on the correspondence of race, ancestry, and health-related "traits are still limited, particularly in minority populations, geographic ancestry and explicit genetic information are alternatives to race that appear to be more accurate predictors of genetic risk factors that influence health" (Bamshad pp).