Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 22, 2026
11:31
Rapid Fractionation and Isolation of Whole Blood Components in Samples Obtained from a Community-based Setting
Published on: November 30, 2015
16.9K
RACE AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENTAL RISK: A Case Example from the Detroit Metropolitan
Amy J Schulz1, Graciela B Mentz1, Natalie Sampson2
1Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor.
Du Bois Review : Social Science Research on Race
|September 28, 2017
Summary
Racial segregation in Detroit leads to disproportionate environmental burdens for communities of color. These areas face higher risks from pollution, hazardous land, and social vulnerabilities, highlighting a need for environmental justice actions.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Environmental Justice
- Urban Planning
Background:
- Understanding the distribution of social and physical environments by race is crucial for documenting inequities.
- W. E. B. Du Bois's historical work provides a foundation for examining contemporary environmental disparities.
- Racial segregation in the United States, particularly in areas like Detroit, exacerbates environmental inequities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To apply and extend W. E. B. Du Bois's approach to analyze environmental exposures and vulnerabilities in Detroit.
- To map and quantify the distribution of physical environmental exposures, health risks, and social vulnerabilities across Census tracts.
- To assess the extent of disproportionate burdens experienced by communities of color in the Detroit metropolitan area.
Main Methods:
- Mapping the proximity of sensitive populations to hazardous land uses and air pollutant exposures.
- Assessing social vulnerabilities and cumulative risk (combined proximity, exposure, and vulnerability) across Census tracts.
- Quantitative analysis to confirm disparities in environmental exposures, health risks, and vulnerabilities by race.
Main Results:
- Census tracts with higher proportions of people of color disproportionately experience physical environmental exposures.
- Communities of color face greater socioeconomic and age-related vulnerabilities, along with higher cumulative risk.
- Statistical tests confirm significantly greater exposures and vulnerabilities in Census tracts with larger minority populations.
Conclusions:
- The study quantifies the inequitable distribution of environmental risk and vulnerability in the Detroit metropolitan area.
- Findings identify specific communities facing disproportionate cumulative risk, informing targeted interventions.
- Results highlight opportunities for policy and local actions to promote environmental justice and health equity.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Statistical Methods for Analyzing Epidemiological Data
1.0K
Epidemiological data primarily involves information on specific populations' occurrence, distribution, and determinants of health and diseases. This data is crucial for understanding disease patterns and impacts, aiding public health decision-making and disease prevention strategies. The analysis of epidemiological data employs various statistical methods to interpret health-related data effectively. Here are some commonly used methods:
1.0K
02:55Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
95.6K
Humans are very diverse and although we share many similarities, we also have many differences. The social groups we belong to help form our identities (Tajfel, 1974). These differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile, which may lead to prejudice toward people who are different. Prejudice is a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group (Allport, 1954; Brown, 2010). Prejudice is common against people who...
95.6K
01:21Dimensions of Health and Illness
11.6K
The factors influencing the health-illness continuum can be internal or external and may or may not be under conscious control. They are related to the following eight human dimensions, and each dimension is interrelated to one other.
11.6K
01:11Hazard Rate
458
The hazard rate, also known as the hazard function or failure rate, is a statistical measure used to describe the instantaneous rate at which an event occurs, given that the event has not yet happened. From a probabilistic perspective, it represents the likelihood that a subject will experience the event in a very small time interval, conditional on surviving up to the beginning of that interval. In terms of frequency, the hazard rate can be viewed as the ratio of the number of events to the...
458
01:12Relative Risk
2.3K
Relative risk (RR) is a statistical measure commonly used in epidemiology to compare the likelihood of a particular event occurring between two groups. This metric is important for evaluating the relationship between exposure to a specific risk factor and the probability of a particular outcome. It plays a crucial role in medical research, public health studies, and risk assessment. Relative risk quantifies how much more (or less) likely an event is to occur in an exposed group compared to an...
2.3K
01:29Bias in Epidemiological Studies
1.4K
Biases can arise at various stages of research, from study design and data collection to analysis and interpretation. Recognizing and addressing these biases is essential to ensure the validity and reliability of epidemiological findings.Broadly speaking, biases in epidemiology fall into three main categories: selection bias, information bias, and confounding. A more detailed description of possible biases is:
1.4K