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Nature, Nurture, History or Politics! What Do Our Race/Ethnic Categories Really Measure

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Air date: Thursday, December 15, 2011, 2:00:00 PM
Time displayed is Eastern Time, Washington DC Local
Views: Total views: 123 (0 Live, 123 On-demand)
Category: Health Disparities
Runtime: 01:14:55
Description: Health Disparities Seminar Series

As the third year of the NIH Health Disparities Seminar Series comes to an end, the NIH welcomes Dr. David E. Hayes-Bautista as the featured speaker for the December 15, 2011 seminar.

Racial and ethnic categorization in the U.S. dates back to the Nation's first census in 1790. This inaugural recording of the population solicited information about free white persons and slaves in each household. In the 22 censuses since, the U.S. Census Bureau has expanded and evolved its racial and ethnic classification of citizens to reflect the country's growing diversity. In fact, the 2000 Census allowed respondents for the first time to mark one or more races in order to capture this diversity after noting increasing numbers of interracial children in the U.S. population.

According to the Census Bureau, race data are critical for the basic research behind many policy decisions and assessment of the racial disparities in health and environmental risks. However, in a Nation riddled with health inequities, what are the race and ethnicity categories telling us? How are these numbers useful to health professionals, policymakers, and community members?

While data sets routinely categorize the U.S. population into race/ethnicity categories, and while differences in health status and behavior are routinely reported, it is not clear what these race/ethnicity categories are actually measuring. In his presentation, Dr. David E. Hayes-Bautista will explore the origins and assumptions of these categories and contrast them with race and ethnicity categories used in the data systems of other countries.

Internationally recognized for his cutting-edge research on Latino health and culture, Dr. Hayes-Bautista is Professor of Medicine and directs the Center for the Study of Latino Health & Culture (CESLAC) at the University of California Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine. A leading advocate for eliminating health disparities, Dr. Hayes-Bautista established the CESLAC in 1992 to provide a focus for research, teaching, and public service in the area of Latino health. He has given over 680 presentations focused on our Nation's health care delivery system and the minority physician shortage.
Author: Dr. David E. Hayes-Bautista, University of California
 
CIT Live ID: 11022
Permanent link: https://videocast.nih.gov/watch=11022