Racial Residential Segregation: A Fundamental Cause of Racial Disparities in Health
Chiquita Collins
October 2001
Synopsis
Racial residential segregation is a fundamental cause of racial disparities in
health. The physical separation of the races by enforced residence in certain
areas is an institutional mechanism
of racism that was designed
to protect whites from
social interaction with blacks.
Despite the absence of supportive
legal statutes, the degree of
residential segregation remains
extremely high for most African
Americans in the United States.
The authors review evidence that
suggests that segregation is a
primary cause of racial differences
in socioeconomic status
(SES) by determining access to
education and employment
opportunities. SES in turn
remains a fundamental cause of
racial differences in health.
Segregation also creates conditions
inimical to health in the
social and physical environment.
The authors conclude that
effective efforts to eliminate
racial disparities in health must
seriously confront segregation
and its pervasive consequences.
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