Post by Blaque on Oct 5, 2006 13:26:40 GMT -5
'Living While Black' Hazardous, Experts Say
By Renee D. Turner, BET.com Staff Writer
Being Black in America is enough to make you sick, two new studies suggest.
That's what two Penn State University researchers found in developing their “Living While Black Index,” which measures Black quality of life.
Their report comes on the heels of an American Public Health Association study published last Thursday that found that people who experience racial discrimination report greater difficulty in achieving their goals and greater personal discomfort.
The Penn State study looked at whether “being Black in America exacts a `social cost',” said Shaun Gabbidon, PhD., who with Steven Peterson, PhD, both at Penn State's Harrisburg campus, recently published their findings in September’s Journal of Black Studies.
What they found is that “Living While Black” can have dire consequences.
“There are some things about being Black in America that can have a negative impact on the quality of life,” Gabbidon says. “It has dire consequences in some context.”
Blacks’ quality of life was more negatively affected by economic factors such as poverty, infant mortality, homicide and drug abuse, but religiosity served as a buffer and reduced the impact of those factors, the researchers found.
Gabbidon and Peterson reached those conclusions by developing the Living While Black index, which is a state-by-state comparison of Black poverty rates, the number of Black prisoners, lack of access to health care, homicide rate, infant mortality rate, business earnings of African-American-owned firms, and the percentage of non-elderly who are uninsured.
The researchers also looked at the impact of those factors on Quality-of-Life issues such as chronic drinking problems, mental health problems, suicide rate and shorter life spans.
“We die [younger], have higher death rates for certain things. Some say it’s living habits. Some say it’s racism. Some say it’s historical. We wanted to see if it was something else operating there,” Gabbidon says.
“As you look at the factors, there is a social cost of being Black. The stressors have a lot to do with it. For instance, being exposed to the reality of discrimination impacts blood pressure. Our research makes it clear that the comprehensive ‘Living While Black’ stress factors pose a substantial public health issue.”
The Penn State study dovetails with the American Public Health Association findings.
Of the 650 Blacks and Latinos surveyed, half reported that discrimination impeded their ability to achieve their goals; half reported that they felt discomfort in the way others treated them because of their race.
"The bottom line is that racial discrimination is a risk factor for mental health, and by extension, physical health," said Gilbert Gee of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, who co-authored the study with colleagues at the University of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Minority Health Coalition.
"Policies that strengthen civil rights, reduce discrimination or encourage multiculturalism aren't just feel-good programs," Gee said. "They might have an important effect on health outcomes as well."
www.bet.com/Health/BeingBlack...7E4249C5FB7%7D
By Renee D. Turner, BET.com Staff Writer
Being Black in America is enough to make you sick, two new studies suggest.
That's what two Penn State University researchers found in developing their “Living While Black Index,” which measures Black quality of life.
Their report comes on the heels of an American Public Health Association study published last Thursday that found that people who experience racial discrimination report greater difficulty in achieving their goals and greater personal discomfort.
The Penn State study looked at whether “being Black in America exacts a `social cost',” said Shaun Gabbidon, PhD., who with Steven Peterson, PhD, both at Penn State's Harrisburg campus, recently published their findings in September’s Journal of Black Studies.
What they found is that “Living While Black” can have dire consequences.
“There are some things about being Black in America that can have a negative impact on the quality of life,” Gabbidon says. “It has dire consequences in some context.”
Blacks’ quality of life was more negatively affected by economic factors such as poverty, infant mortality, homicide and drug abuse, but religiosity served as a buffer and reduced the impact of those factors, the researchers found.
Gabbidon and Peterson reached those conclusions by developing the Living While Black index, which is a state-by-state comparison of Black poverty rates, the number of Black prisoners, lack of access to health care, homicide rate, infant mortality rate, business earnings of African-American-owned firms, and the percentage of non-elderly who are uninsured.
The researchers also looked at the impact of those factors on Quality-of-Life issues such as chronic drinking problems, mental health problems, suicide rate and shorter life spans.
“We die [younger], have higher death rates for certain things. Some say it’s living habits. Some say it’s racism. Some say it’s historical. We wanted to see if it was something else operating there,” Gabbidon says.
“As you look at the factors, there is a social cost of being Black. The stressors have a lot to do with it. For instance, being exposed to the reality of discrimination impacts blood pressure. Our research makes it clear that the comprehensive ‘Living While Black’ stress factors pose a substantial public health issue.”
The Penn State study dovetails with the American Public Health Association findings.
Of the 650 Blacks and Latinos surveyed, half reported that discrimination impeded their ability to achieve their goals; half reported that they felt discomfort in the way others treated them because of their race.
"The bottom line is that racial discrimination is a risk factor for mental health, and by extension, physical health," said Gilbert Gee of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, who co-authored the study with colleagues at the University of New Hampshire and the New Hampshire Minority Health Coalition.
"Policies that strengthen civil rights, reduce discrimination or encourage multiculturalism aren't just feel-good programs," Gee said. "They might have an important effect on health outcomes as well."
www.bet.com/Health/BeingBlack...7E4249C5FB7%7D