A Population Health Perspective on Racism and Racial Microaggressions

Racism, one of the social determinants of health, often goes unnoticed by those less affected by its pernicious effects. The lived social experience of race has been linked to significant physical and mental health disparities. Individually or together, we know that racism and discrimination are associated with poorer health of persons from racial minority groups as evidenced in higher rates of mortality, earlier onset of disease, greater severity and progression of disease and higher levels of comorbidity and impairment. These disparities are persistent over time and, although may lessen in degree, are evident at every level of income and education. This article provides a glimpse of the impact of racism on individuals and groups, with a focus on microaggressions as a subtle but pervasive form of racism, and how it is an underlying causative factor for health disparities.