A Consideration of Racism in Pediatric Epidemiologic Studies

In epidemiologic research, race is considered often as a covariate of an outcome because such is customary practice, is seemingly easy to measure, is stable over time, and often is associated with variation in the outcome.1 The complexities and limitations in using race, a socially constructed way of grouping people for these purposes, however, perceptively elaborated 20 years ago,1 unmasks a dogma and challenges the neutrality of the traditional rationale for using race as a covariate. Jones underscores the points that definition and delineation of race are highly heterogeneous, contextually based, and subject to change over time, and race's association with outcome is difficult to distinguish from a broad2 range of underlying racist policies and practices.
Source: The Journal of Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Commentary Source Type: research