Skip Navigation
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document
Use this QR code to view the newest version of this document

Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Understanding racial-ethnic disparities in health: sociological contributions.

Authors: Williams, David R; Sternthal, Michelle

Published In J Health Soc Behav, (2010)

Abstract: This article provides an overview of the contribution of sociologists to the study of racial and ethnic inequalities in health in the United States. It argues that sociologists have made four principal contributions. First, they have challenged and problematized the biological understanding of race. Second, they have emphasized the primacy of social structure and context as determinants of racial differences in disease. Third, they have contributed to our understanding of the multiple ways in which racism affects health. Finally, sociologists have enhanced our understanding of the ways in which migration history and status can affect health. Sociological insights on racial disparities in health have important implications for the development of effective approaches to improve health and reduce health inequities.

PubMed ID: 20943580 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Emigration and Immigration; Health Policy; Health Status Disparities*; Healthcare Disparities/ethnology*; Humans; Prejudice; Racial Groups*; Social Change; Sociology, Medical*; United States

Back
to Top