Ethnicity, class and health

Summary: In 1997 the initial analyses of the large-scale Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities were presented in three volumes published by PSI: Ethnic Minorities in Britain: Diversity and Disadvantage, The Health of Britain’s Ethnic Minorities and Ethnicity and Mental Health. This new report brings together and updates the two publications on health, and draws on follow-up research. Using both the mental and physical health data from the survey, it critically examines various approaches to understanding ethnic differences in health, exploring further the complex relationship between ethnicity and health. Central to the report is a detailed examination of the contribution of socio-economic factors to differences in health, using data uniquely available in the Fourth National Survey. Ethnicity, Class and Health first examines the existing evidence on ethnic differences in health and the explanations for them. It looks at how rates of illness vary across and within ethnic groups and considers how far differences in health might be consistent across subgroups and generations. It then explores in detail the contribution of socio-economic factors to inequalities in health. The report concludes by considering the implications of its findings for our understanding of ethnic inequalities in health and raises a number of important theoretical issues for future research in this area. This report will be of interest to academics and students interested in epidemiology, public health medicine, medical sociology, anthropology and race relations; social researchers; health professionals; and policy maker

Book review: pricing beauty: the making of a fashion model by Ashley Mears

Mears, A. (2011). Pricing beauty: The making of a fashion model. Berkeley: University of California Press

Ethnic differences in women's use of mental health services: do social networks play a role? Findings from a national survey

Objectives: The reasons for ethnic differences in women’s mental health service use in England remain unclear. The aims of this study were to ascertain: ethnic differences in women’s usage of mental health services, if social networks are independently associated with service use, and if the association between women’s social networks and service use varies between ethnic groups. Design: Logistic regression modelling of nationally representative data from the Ethnic Minority Psychiatric Illness Rates in the Community (EMPIRIC) survey conducted in England. The analytic sample (2260 women, aged 16–74 years) was drawn from the representative subsample of 2340 women in EMPIRIC for whom data on mental health services, and social networks were available. Results: Pakistani and Bangladeshi women were less likely than White women to have used mental health services (Pakistani OR = 0.23, CI = 0.08–0.65, p = .005; Bangladeshi OR = 0.25, CI = 0.07–0.86, p = .027). Frequent contact with relatives reduced mental health service use (OR = 0.45, CI = 0.23–0.89, p = .023). An increase in perceived inadequate support in women’s close networks was associated with increased odds of using mental health services (OR = 1.91, CI = 1.11–3.27, p = .019). The influence of social networks on mental health service use did not differ between ethnic groups. Conclusions: The differential treatment of women from Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnic groups in primary care settings could be a possible reason for the observed differences in mental health service use

Racism psychosis and common mental disorder among ethnic minority groups in England

Background. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between risk of psychosis, common mental disorder (CMD) and indicators of racism among ethnic minority groups in England and how this relationship may vary by particular ethnic groups. Method. A multivariate analysis was carried out of quantitative, cross-sectional data from a nationally representative community sample of people aged between 16 and 74 years from the largest ethnic minority groups in England: those of Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Irish origin. Results. Experience of interpersonal racism and perceiving racism in the wider society each have independent effects on the risk of CMD and psychosis, after controlling for the effects of gender, age and socio-economic status. There was some variation in the findings when they were conducted for separate ethnic and gender groups. Conclusions. An understanding of the relationship between racism and mental health may go some way towards explaining the ethnic variations found in both CMD and, particularly, psychosis

NCeSS Project : Data mining for social scientists

We will discuss the work being undertaken on the NCeSS data mining project, a one year project at the University of Manchester which began at the start of 2007, to develop data mining tools of value to the social science community. Our primary goal is to produce a suite of data mining codes, supported by a web interface, to allow social scientists to mine their datasets in a straightforward way and hence, gain new insights into their data. In order to fully define the requirements, we are looking at a range of typical datasets to find out what forms they take and the applications and algorithms that will be required. In this paper, we will describe a number of these datasets and will discuss how easily data mining techniques can be used to extract information from the data that would either not be possible or would be too time consuming by more standard methods

Ethnic differences in cognitive development in the first 7 years: does maternal generational status matter?

BACKGROUND: Differences in cognitive development have been observed across a variety of ethnic minority groups but relatively little is known about the persistence of these developmental inequalities over time or generations. METHODS: A repeat cross-sectional analysis assessed cognitive ability scores of children aged 3, 5 and 7 years from the longitudinal UK Millennium Cohort Study (white UK born n=7630; Indian n=248; Pakistani n=328; Bangladeshi n=87; black Caribbean n=172; and black African n=136). Linear regression estimated ethnic differences in age normed scores at each time point. Multivariable logistic regression estimated within-group generational differences in test scores at each age adjusting stepwise for sociodemographic factors, maternal health behaviours, indicators of the home learning environment and parenting styles. RESULTS: The majority of ethnic minority groups scored lower than the white UK born reference group at 3 years with these differences narrowing incrementally at ages 5 and 7 years. However, the black Caribbean group scored significantly lower than the white UK born reference group throughout early childhood. At 3 years, Pakistani, black Caribbean and black African children with UK born mothers had significantly higher test scores than those with foreign born mothers after baseline adjustment for maternal age and child gender. Controlling for social, behavioural and parenting factors attenuated this generational advantage. By 7 years there were no significant generational differences in baseline models. CONCLUSIONS: Ethnic differences in cognitive development diminish throughout childhood for the majority of groups. Cumulative exposure to the UK environment may be associated with higher cognitive development scores

Watch out for the Aunties! Young British Asians' accounts of identity and substance use

This paper considers how young people able to trace their origins from Pakistan or India (henceforth 'Asians'), discuss their use of, or abstention from, alcohol and tobacco in terms of religious and cultural tradition. The role of religion, ethnicity, gender and generation in the uptake or avoidance of alcohol and tobacco was explored in 19 qualitative group and individual interviews with 47 Asians aged 16–26 years and analysed in terms of pioneering and conservative forms of tradition. Religious proscriptions on alcohol and tobacco were reported to be formally gender blind, but concerns about reputation and future marriage chances, sanctioned by gossip, meant that women's behaviour was consistently more constrained than men's. Muslims' abstinence from alcohol was tightly linked with an Islamic identity in that drinking jeopardised one's claim to being a Muslim, whereas cigarette smoking was tolerated among young men. Sikhs' and Hindus' avoidance of tobacco was strongly sanctioned, but smoking did not strongly jeopardise a religious identity. Sikh men's abstention indicated manly strength central to a devout identity. Some experimentation was possible out of view of the older generation, especially the aunties, but the risk of gossip damaging young women's reputations was keenly felt. While damage to women's reputations was hard to undo, men's reputations tarnished by substance use, could be compensated for by their parents' honourable status. Discussion of tradition as innovation was rare and met with resistance. Tradition was largely experienced as a constraint to be circumvented

Islamophobia, racism and health

Racism has been argued to be a focal element of ethnic inequalities in health (Williams 1999, Krieger 2003, Nazroo 2003, Paradies et al. 2015), impacting on the health of ethnic minority people through differential exposure to socioeconomic, environmental, psychosocial and healthcare-related pathways. In this chapter we explore the implications of this for the health of Muslim people in the UK, with the intention of illustrating how Islamophobia, racism targeted towards Islam or Muslims, harms the health of Muslim people. The evidence we draw on is mainly from studies of racism and health, so the primary focus is on ethnic minority people in general, with discussion of a range of health outcomes. Nevertheless, the conclusions from this evidence are clear on the harm of Islamophobia to health