Question

Summarize W.E.B. DuBois’s contribution to health disparities

Answer 1

In the early 20th century, W.E.B. Dubois argued that social factors, not inherent biological traits, caused disparities in health between Whites and Blacks.

He provided an overview of sociological work exploring the relationship between race and health.

The authors revisit evidence of health disparities and describes efforts to understand race as a social category.

The authors explain how discrimination discourages African Americans from using health care services; examine the role of social structures in creating health disparities; and consider factors that affect the health of immigrants.

Their finding include:

• Sociologists reject the dominant view of the last century that racial disparities in health primarily reflect biological differences between racial groups.
• Sociological work on social class underscores the various aspects of socioeconomic indicators.
• Residential segregation, highest among African Americans, contributes to the emergence of disease.