Structural Racism, Health Inequities, and the Two-Edged Sword of Data: Structural Problems Require Structural
1Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States.
Frontiers in Public Health
|May 3, 2021
Summary
Structural racism creates health inequities. This essay proposes two mandates for analyzing racialized health data: explicitly justify racial categories and link health data to societal inequities. These changes aim to advance health equity.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Equity Research
- Sociology of Race and Health
Background:
- Structural racism systematically generates health inequities.
- Analyzing racialized health data presents challenges in conceptualization and operationalization.
- The use and non-use of racialized data have historically supported or opposed white supremacy and scientific racism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the challenges in using racialized data to document health inequities.
- To propose a two-part institutional mandate for reporting and analyzing publicly-funded health data involving racialized groups.
- To advance health equity by improving data practices.
Main Methods:
- The essay proposes a critical analysis of data usage in health equity research.
- It outlines two specific mandates for government-funded research involving racialized groups and health data.
- Mandate 1: Explicitly explain and justify the conceptualization and metrics of racialized groups in all US health datasets and research projects supported by government funds.
- Mandate 2: Analyze individual-level health data by racialized group membership in relation to relevant data on racialized societal inequities.
Main Results:
- The proposed mandates offer a structural solution to the systemic problems causing health inequities.
- These proposals aim to ensure more rigorous and equitable analysis of racialized health data.
- The study highlights the feasibility of implementing these mandates within US government agencies.
Conclusions:
- Implementing these data analysis and reporting mandates is crucial for dismantling structural racism in health.
- The proposed changes will foster more accurate documentation and effective intervention for health inequities.
- This structural reform is presented as a timely opportunity for US government agencies to advance health equity.
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