Open AccessConceptualizing Ethnicity: How Dimensions of Ethnicity Affect Disparities in Health Outcomes Among Latinxs in the United States
Author(s) -
Whitney N. Laster Pirtle,
Zulema Valdez,
Kathryn P Daniels,
María Dueñas,
Denise Przylynski Castro
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
ethnicity and disease
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.767
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1945-0826
pISSN - 1049-510X
DOI - 10.18865/ed.30.3.489
Subject(s) - ethnic group , affect (linguistics) , odds , health equity , feeling , ordered logit , race and health , psychology , mental health , gerontology , social psychology , medicine , logistic regression , public health , sociology , psychiatry , nursing , communication , machine learning , anthropology , computer science
Background: This study considers how attributional and relational dimensions of ethnicity affect Latinxs’ health outcomes.Methods: Using regression methods to analyze data from the 2006 Portraits of American Life Study, we examined how attributional and relational dimensions of ethnicity affect: 1) intragroup differences in Latinx mental and physical health status, as measured by feelings of worthlessness and self-rated health, respectively; and 2) intergroup differences between Latinxs and non-Hispanic Whites in these health outcomes.Results: Latinxs have higher odds of feelings of worthlessness and lower odds of self-reporting good/excellent health compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Additionally, intragroup differences in health are observed among Latinxs, conditioned on attributional or relational dimensions of ethnicity.Conclusion: Multidimensional measures of ethnicity that distinguish between characteristics associated with ethnicity (attributional) or race (relational) offer a nuanced explanation of health disparities by revealing aspects of ethnicity that shape health outcomes differently, contributing to the goals of health equity.Ethn Dis. 2020;30(3):489-500; doi:10.18865/ed.30.3.489