Genetic, Cultural or Socio‐economic Vulnerability? Explaining Ethnic Inequalities in Health

摘要: Most work on ethnic inequalities in health the UK has focused genetic and cultural difference, ignoring issues relating to class disadvantage. However, more recent work, that conducted US, suggests material disadvantage might be crucial. Nevertheless, wider sociological literature illustrates ethnicity ‘race’ cannot simply reduced class. This paper uses data from Fourth National Survey of Ethnic Minorities examine three alternative approaches health. Epidemiological are driven by empirical findings make little explicit acknowledgement theoretical understandings ethnicity, but they carry assumption provides a natural fixed division between population groups. Consequently, explanations for differences tend ahistoric de-contextualised factors. Structural generally focus inequalities, there important methodological difficulties assessing these. We also need consider other elements structural faced minority groups, such as their experiences racism or concentration particular geographical locations. Approaches identity emphasise importance group affiliation culture, while acknowledging contingent contextual nature ethnicity. despite promise carried based approaches, been undertaken. These varying illustrate how understanding mechanisms producing concern with research can lead technical interventions along causal pathways, roots social being ignored.