Office for Health, Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity (HME Belcher and N Copeland-Linder), Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Md; Department of Pediatrics (HME Belcher), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md.
FXB Center for Health and Human Rights (MV Plaisime), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Mass Dr N Copeland-Linder is now with the Knott Science Center, 227G, Department of Psychology, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Baltimore, Md..
Acad Pediatr. 2024 Sep-Oct;24(7S):S119-S125. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2024.05.005.
Race is a sociopolitical construct based on physical characteristics, not a biological construct. Racism is a system that ascribes value and resources based on the sociopolitical construct called "race." In the United States and other countries around the world, racism is associated with disparate health outcomes and shortened life expectancies. Health equity employs health-related systems (eg, health care providers, insurance companies, hospitals, research, pharmaceutical companies) across multiple sectors (eg, housing, education, business, government) to allocate resources and services to correct and promote political and social determinants associated with health and wellness. Applying health equity practices and policies ensures that each child, youth, and adult receives comprehensive, evidence-informed, culturally relevant, and needs-based services to achieve optimum health. This article provides an overview of the impact of racism embedded in systems and policies that challenge optimal health for children and youth and offers evidence-supported paths forward to advance health and wellness in the United States. Until each child and adolescent enjoys optimal and equal health outcomes, health equity practices and social justice are mandatory.
种族是一种基于身体特征的社会政治建构，而不是生物建构。种族主义是一种根据所谓的“种族”这一社会政治建构赋予价值和资源的制度。在美国和世界其他国家，种族主义与不同的健康结果和缩短的预期寿命有关。健康公平利用医疗保健系统（例如医疗保健提供者、保险公司、医院、研究、制药公司）和多个部门（例如住房、教育、商业、政府）来分配资源和服务，以纠正和促进与健康和健康相关的政治和社会决定因素。实施健康公平实践和政策可确保每个儿童、青少年和成年人都能获得全面、循证、文化相关和基于需求的服务，以实现最佳健康。本文概述了系统和政策中种族主义的影响，这些影响挑战了儿童和青少年的最佳健康，并提供了循证的前进道路，以促进美国的健康和健康。在每个儿童和青少年都享有最佳和公平的健康结果之前，健康公平实践和社会正义是强制性的。
