The Critical Role of Racial/Ethnic Data Disaggregation for Health Equity.

Kauh, Tina J., Jen’nan Ghazal Read, and A.J. Scheitler. 2021. Population Research and Policy Review 40(1), 1-7. 

Studies examining racial gaps in health and well-being often rely on generalized categories such as White or Caucasian; Black or African American; Latino or Hispanic; Asian American; Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander; or American Indian and Alaska Native. However, the grouping of data into these broad categories masks important disparities within the groups, limiting the health and social services fields’ abilities to target their resources where they are most needed. 

In this article, Read and her colleagues discuss the importance of gathering, analyzing, and reporting more precise data on racial and ethnic health disparities. They cite important distinctions between members of the same broad categories, such as the unique experiences of Middle Eastern Americans compared to other White ethnic groups. This article serves to introduce a special issue of Population Research and Policy Review that focuses on separating out subcategories of data in order to promote health equity.