Department of Health Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Andhra Pradesh, India
Opinion
Role of Epidemiologic Research in Addressing Health Inequalities
Author(s): Sheetal Singh*
To conduct relevant epidemiologic research on racial and ethnic health disparities, racial and ethnic samples must be made comparable on other socioeconomic status and contextual features using statistical controls of those unrelated factors. Aside from equal access to research opportunities, equal representation of their respective populations, and similar familiarity with and responsiveness to the procedures and metrics used to collect health data, racial and ethnic groups must also be equally sensitive to them. In the absence of such quantitative parity, numerous unmeasured, uncontrolled factors of race and ethnicity hinder studies of racial and ethnic health disparities. This makes samples, procedures, and measures incomparable between racial/ethnic groups and makes it more difficult to attribute observed health differences to racial/ethnicity rather than to their correlates. Patt.. View More»
