2Chapter 4 Race and Health: Racial Disparities in Hypertension and Links Between Racism and Health

Racial disparities in health continue to be a pressing problem in the United States. What accounts for these racial disparities? Are there race differences in both the individual-level and the community-level health risk factors and health-related behaviors? Do racism and ethnic discrimination contribute, directly or indirectly, to these disparities? To answer these questions, we examine racial disparities in high blood pressure, or hypertension, as a model for thinking about the complex issues driving health disparities in general.