The studies described in this section explore associations between racial residential segregation and health for African Americans and Latinos. A number of the articles discuss contextual information on the origins of residential segregation, including the role of institutional racism, discriminatory public policies, and discriminatory actions of individuals.
Racial residential segregation is measured in various ways, including 1) unevenness in the distribution of racial groups within a region; 2) isolation from other groups; 3) clustering of racial or ethnic neighborhoods together; 4) proximity to central cities; and 5) density of the segregated group compared to other groups.
The studies show that segregation affects mortality, birth outcomes, tuberculosis, and depression. Health risks related to segregation remain even after adjustments are made for individual family income.
In most cases, racial residential segregation increases the risk of these outcomes for both African Americans and Latinos. For Latinos, however, studies have shown that segregation may have some protective effects, such as slightly reducing mortality rates and depression.
The studies identify some of the ways in which segregation may affect health. The many detrimental effects of segregation are probably related to such factors as 1) concentrated poverty; 2) lack of access to education and employment opportunities, which determines socioeconomic status and access to other opportunities and resources; 3) high-density living environments; and 4) low-quality physical environments with poor housing quality, high levels of crime, multiple sources of stress, and lack of access to services like grocery stores and medical services. In some cases, segregation may confer protective effects by offering social support and reduced exposure to discrimination.
The authors discuss the need for interventions to improve conditions in racially segregated communities, such as efforts to increase access to health care or reduce exposures to environmental toxins. The authors also highlight the need for programs and policies that address racial residential segregation and racial disparities in socioeconomic status.
 |
 |
 |