Racism: The Missing Social Determinant of Health – U of Toronto

Doctors and public health practitioners have long known that the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age have a profound impact on their health. They refer to those factors as the social determinants of health. But there is an important one missing from the list, argues Dr. Onye Nnorom: racism.

In a presentation at Public Health Ontario (PHO) titled “Is Black Health a Public Health Issue? (Yes, thanks for asking!),” Nnorom reviewed how the effects of racism that occur over the course of a Black person’s life has direct and lasting consequences on health. It’s the result of systematic oppression that disrupts family units and keeps many Black individuals in a lower socio-economic state.

For example, Black children are more likely to be removed from homes by child protection services. They also drop out of the education system more often and have higher unemployment rates. This sets conditions in which the rates of hypertension and diabetes are more prevalent in Black communities, among other health inequalities.

Read More: http://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/2017/02/racism-the-missing-social-determinant-of-health/