Our field cannot continue to disengage with racism; we need to dive in wherever we are. #epitwitter #racismisapublichealthcrisis (1/n)
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1) Racism impacts people’s health.
2) Racism impacts the science of epidemiology
(2/n)
Krieger gives two case studies:
1) Cancer mortality among African Americans
2) Diabetes among American Indians
(5/n)
How has race been measured since the first U.S. Census in 1790?
Interactive timeline: census.gov/data-tools/dem…
(6/n)
i. White (free white males, free white females --> White)
ii. Black (slaves --> black, negro)
iii. Indian
Our race/ethn data for health statistics are derived from census categories. (7/n)
Race was presented as white/non-white. This report would then set the precedent and mold for reporting race data in health. (9/n)
Racism, when not addressed in our research, can distort monitoring and analysis of pop health and health inequities.(11/n)
How has the etiologic understanding of disease been distorted by the neglect of mainstream epi to acknowledge racism and histories of colonization?
(12/n)
1) Explicitly use theories of disease distribution when framing hypotheses, designing studies, developing instruments, measuring exposures, analyzing data, interpreting results, and explaining their scientific and social signif.(19/n)
*before we can teach, we need to undergo the process of unlearning and learning* (24/n)
Epidemiologists must reckon with racism to 1) avoid harm and do better science 2) situate our research in historical, societal, and ecological context, 3) become aware of the deep rooted ways in which racism harms populations and leads to disparities in health. (25/n)