"In general, controlling for SES fails to account completely for racial and ethnic disparities, despite leading to a reduction in the magnitude of group differences. The failure of SES controls to account for racial or ethnic differences has then, in turn, been used as "evidence" of some kind of residual racial-genetic effect. As Kaufman and colleagues (1997) show, however, such an inference is almost never warranted because of the problems associated with trying to untangle race, ethnicity, and SES. Various forms of residual confounding occur, which in turn render an inference regarding some kind of racial-genetic effect unlikely, even after controlling for SES (see also Davey Smith 2000).

"Some researchers have argued that the confounding of SES and racial disparities is a function of the wider distribution of risky health behaviors among lower class people, such as those behaviors reviewed in the previous section (Liu et al. 1996, Stamler et al. 2003). This again is an argument that race or ethnicity is confounded with SES; however, as shown above, controlling for health behaviors does not explain racial and ethnic health disparities.

"More promising directions in research on SES examine the effect of residence in low-income communities on health (Williams & Collins 2001), as well as how SES may moderate racial or ethnic differences (Acevedo-Garcia et al. 2005)." (Dressler et al 2005:238)

Can socioeconomic effects and racial effects on health be untangled (meaning, can we separate the effects from one another)? Are socioeconomic and racial effects on health enough to explain racial or ethnic disparities?

 

Can socioeconomic effects and racial effects on health be untangled (meaning, can we separate the effects from one another)?

Socioeconomic effects and racial effects on health cannot be untangled because the two variables affect the quality of life people have. In terms of socioeconomic effects on health, people who are in poverty follow an unhealthy diet or eat less than 3 meals a day because they don't have the resources to afford the basic necessities like clean and healthy food and water. To survive, they usually beg or eat leftover food which are really unhealthy and unsafe. Another socioeconomic reality that affects the health of the people is their capacity to secure shelter and clothing. These necessities affect one's health. People living in slums usually are prone to environmental hazards like flood, pollution, and diseases. Humans also need clothes to keep us warm and protected from external forces. With regards to racial effects, one's genetics also affect the quality of life of people. The traits and diseases, as well as racial behaviors, are passed down to generations which are difficult to eradicate or prevent. Family diseases like cancer can affect the health of the entire family putting everyone at risk because it is in the genes. At the same time, when families exhibit unhealthy behaviors, this could influence the way other people behave.

Are socioeconomic and racial effects on health enough to explain racial or ethnic disparities?

Socioeconomic and racial effects on health can explain the racial or ethnic disparities, but are not enough to explain the entire racial or ethnic disparities. It plays a big and vital role on creating disparities. However, there are still a lot of factors to consider such as gender, cultural, and political effects.

Step-by-step explanation

Health is state of a balanced condition where there are no risks to one's holistic well-being. To maintain this, there are certain behaviors and lifestyle changes must be followed. Thus, this makes socioeconomic and racial aspects play a vital role on the health of human beings. These will determine the kind of life people have. The two could either yield positive and negative effects on one's health. However, when affects one's health negatively, we must take note that human beings as rational thinkers are capable to transcend beyond these hindrances. By making rational decisions on our socioeconomic and racial aspects, we can make our lives better and choose what's best for our health.