Prejudice, discrimination, and health

Abstract

Racism is a system of beliefs and structures that denigrate and disadvantage members of racial groups who are categorized and regarded as inferior. This chapter describes racism and summarizes its impact on health inequities for African Americans and other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. It presents racism as an umbrella term that encompasses racial ideology, racial prejudice, internalized racism, racial discrimination, and structural racism. The chapter then explains the mechanisms through which each dimension of racism is associated with health inequities. Next, drawing from the public health literature, it highlights empirical support for how racism is associated with health outcomes in racialized population groups in the United States. The chapter concludes with a case study of what one community has done to address racism as a fundamental determinant of racial disparities in maternal and infant health.