Ethnicity, class and health

Summary:

In 1997 the initial analyses of the large-scale Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities were presented in three volumes published by PSI: Ethnic Minorities in Britain: Diversity and Disadvantage, The Health of Britain’s Ethnic Minorities and Ethnicity and Mental Health. This new report brings together and updates the two publications on health, and draws on follow-up research. Using both the mental and physical health data from the survey, it critically examines various approaches to understanding ethnic differences in health, exploring further the complex relationship between ethnicity and health. Central to the report is a detailed examination of the contribution of socio-economic factors to differences in health, using data uniquely available in the Fourth National Survey.

Ethnicity, Class and Health first examines the existing evidence on ethnic differences in health and the explanations for them. It looks at how rates of illness vary across and within ethnic groups and considers how far differences in health might be consistent across subgroups and generations. It then explores in detail the contribution of socio-economic factors to inequalities in health. The report concludes by considering the implications of its findings for our understanding of ethnic inequalities in health and raises a number of important theoretical issues for future research in this area.

This report will be of interest to academics and students interested in epidemiology, public health medicine, medical sociology, anthropology and race relations; social researchers; health professionals; and policy makers