Race and Ethnicity

Racial and ethnic background has profound effects on an individual’s health primarily because of the different social and economic experiences – advantages and disadvantages – that go along with race and ethnicity. Although it is no longer legal to discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity, the legacy of racial inequality and residential segregation has left members of disadvantaged racial or ethnic groups more heavily concentrated in resource-poor neighborhoods, with powerful adverse influences on health (see Community).  

Resources

  • Education Is Linked With Health Regardless of Racial or Ethnic Group

    Differences in adult health status by education do not simply reflect differences by racial or ethnic group. Both educational attainment and racial or ethnic group matter.

  • United States: Gaps in Adult Health Status

    In the nation overall, adult health status varies both by level of educational attainment and by racial or ethnic group.

  • United States: Social Factors Affecting Adult Health

    In the United States, health among adults is powerfully linked with social factors such as household income, educational attainment and racial or ethnic group.

  • Across America, Differences in How Long and How Well We Live

    Where we live, work, learn and play dramatically affects our health—for better or for worse. Across America and within every state, there are differences in how long and how well we live. This map and accompanying chart show the highest and lowest life expectancy rates (based on county-level data) found in each state and the District of Columbia.

More Resources

Perspectives

  • Stories

    Andrea Silva

    At Centura Health at Home in Denver, Andrea Silva resolved a struggle that many new mothers face – returning to work while continuing to provide nutritious breast milk for her baby. Meet Andrea Silva

     

    Abang Ojullu

    Abang Ojullu remembers all too vividly the day she put her eldest daughter on a small ambulance jet bound for Sioux Falls. The child’s asthma attack was too severe for doctors in rural Worthington, Minn. to treat. Meet Abang Ojullu

     

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  • Leadership Blog

    Guest Post: F as in Fat

    by Jim Marks, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
    July 02, 2009

    Yesterday I was involved in the RWJF and the Trust for America’s Health release of our annual F as in Fat report on obesity in the United States. This year’s findings were particularly interesting. Read More

    RWJF Priorities Intersect with the Commission's Recommendations

    by Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, President and CEO, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
    June 30, 2009

    The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America just completed a yearlong study and issued 10 recommendations for improving the health of all Americans. I was struck by how many of its suggestions matched our strategies for preventing childhood obesity. Read More

    Prevention Matters: Stopping Sickness Before it Starts

    by David R. Williams, Ph.D., Staff Director
    June 04, 2009

    When Prevention Matters, the blog for Partnership for Prevention, asked that I write a guest post about the Commission’s recommendations, I gladly accepted the opportunity. Read More

    More Blogs

News and Events

  • D.C. Region Health Check Up: Wide Differences Based on Location

    June 30, 2009

    A new report detailing the health of residents in the Washington region shows where you live in the area could add or subtract nearly 10 years from your life. The Washington Council of Governments released a joint report detailing the connection between where someone lives in the region and the quality of their health. Read More

  • GOVERNING: Diplomas Keep the Doctor Away

    June 23, 2009

    Last September, I wrote a column about a handful of academics who used a series of charts, graphs and yield curves to show that education plays a key role in one’s ability to make use of health care. What the academics found was that a longer life span was connected to a college degree. Now, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is taking the academic theories one step further. It has looked at research data and found that there’s a direct link between a person’s health and the level of education attained. In short, the higher your degree, the healthier you are. And the conclusions don’t rest on a national snapshot. They look at the link between education and health in every state. Read More

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