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RECONCEPTUALIZING THE MEASUREMENT OF MULTIRACIAL STATUS FOR HEALTH RESEARCH IN THE UNITED STATES

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2011

Meghan Woo ,
S. Bryn Austin ,
David R. Williams  and
Gary G. Bennett
Meghan Woo*
Affiliation:
Abt Associates Inc.
S. Bryn Austin
Affiliation:
Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health and Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Children's Hospital
David R. Williams
Affiliation:
Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health and Department of African and African American Studies, Harvard University
Gary G. Bennett
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University and Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health
*
Meghan Woo, Abt Associates Inc.55 Wheeler St. Cambridge MA, 02138. E-mail: Meghan_Woo@abtassoc.com
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Abstract

The assessment of multiracial status in U.S. health research is fraught with challenges that limit our ability to enumerate and study this population. This paper reconceptualizes the assessment of multiracial status through the development of a model with three dimensions: mixed ancestry multiracial status, self-identified multiracial status, and socially assigned multiracial status. We present challenges to studying multiracial populations and provide recommendations for improving the assessment of multiracial status in health research.

Keywords

MultiracialMixed AncestryRaceEthnicityRacial ClassificationRacial Identification
Type
Current Status and Priorities
Information
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race , Volume 8 , Issue 1: Special Issue: Racial Inequality and Health , Spring 2011 , pp. 25 - 36
Copyright
Copyright © W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research 2011

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