Dados is one of the most widely-read social sciences journals in Latin America. Created in 1966, it publishes innovative works, originating from academic research, by Brazilian and foreign authors. Edited by IESP-UERJ, it aims to reconcile scientific rigor and academic excellence with an emphasis on public debate based on the analysis of substantive issues of society and politics.
Dados vol. 54 n. 1 Rio de Janeiro 2011
Abstract
This study focuses on social patterns, socioeconomic mediations, and conditional relations characterizing racial inequalities in health in Brazil. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the association between racial division and poor health status. Socioeconomic factors explain a high proportion (84%) of racial inequality in health, which depends heavily on asymmetries in resources, power, and valuable contexts. When social class contexts interact with race, they reveal nonequivalent (conditional on class) health advantages or disadvantages between racial groups. Racial divisions affect the actors' capacities and opportunities to achieve their ends by mobilizing the available means.
Keywords: racial inequality in health, social class, sociology of health, social determinants of health, interactions between class and race
DOI: 10.1590/S0011-52582011000100001
Health inequality by race and class context in Brazil