Race or Class or Race and Class: Growing Mortality Differentials in the United States
- 1 April 1991
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in International Journal of Health Services
- Vol. 21 (2) , 229-235
- https://doi.org/10.2190/5wxm-qk9k-ptmq-t1fg
Abstract
Recent statistics on increasing differences in mortality rates between blacks and whites in the United States are causing a great deal of concern. The reduction of this gap is an important national goal. Yet mortality differentials cannot be explained solely by race. We must also look at class, as do all Western nations other than the United States, when compiling health statistics. In the United States, how people live, get sick, and die depends not only on their race, sex, and age, but also on their class, whether measured by level of education, income, or occupation. Class differentials in mortality and morbidity are greater than race differentials. By focusing our attention on race differentials alone, we will not be able to understand why the health indicators of minorities in the United States are deteriorating.Keywords
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