Annie Ro, Associate Professor, Public Health, University of California, Irvine
Tile: Developing a multigenerational model of structural racism and birth outcomes among Black Families
Abstract: Research on structural racism as a fundamental cause of racial and ethnic health disparities, particularly among Black Americans, is increasingly gaining attention. Structural racism encompasses systemic policies, practices, ideologies, and institutions that perpetuate racial inequality and limit access to resources and opportunities Despite growing calls to expand the evidence base around structural racism and health, the field has not coalesced around a shared understanding of how to measure this complex construct. This talk introduces our exposure model that incorporates a multigenerational perspective to assess structural racism across five dimensions—criminal justice, economic opportunity, educational resources, political participation, and residential segregation and housing—among Black families in South Carolina from 1989 to 2020. We use linked birth records to create “family trees” that contain information about grandmothers, mothers, and children. By adopting an intergenerational approach, the model addresses key recommendations for improving structural racism measurement, such as considering multiple dimensions, accounting for temporal and spatial factors, and utilizing latent variables to capture complex, interconnected processes. This talk will introduce our process of developing the measurement model and provide preliminary result on intergenerational exposure to structural racism and preterm birth.
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