Assessing Race, Ethnicity and Gender in Health [Paperback]

This book deals specifically with the historical basis for use of terms in race, gender, ethnicity, sex and sexual orientation. It brings much needed clarity to the debate by identifying the ethical issues as well as the technical challenges inherent in measuring these elusive concepts. The author expands on her work begun in Gender, Ethnicity, and Health Research by paralleling the evolution of racial and sexual categories with the development of health research. In addition, the book provides a salient guide to assessment tools currently used in measuring racial and sexual constructs, identity, and experience.

This book deals specifically with the historical basis for use of terms in race, gender, ethnicity, sex and sexual orientation.

It brings clarity and identifies the ethical issues as well as the technical challenges inherent in measuring these elusive concepts.

Foundations.- Constructing Categories: Context and Consequences.- Constructs: Their Definition and Use.- Methodological Considerations.- Assessing Gender, Ethnicity, and Related Constructs.- Defining Race, Ethnicity, and Related Constructs.- Defining Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation.- Race, Ethnicity, and Sexual Orientation in Health.- Measures of Ethnicity, Ethnic Identification, Acculturation, and Immigration Status.- Measures of Sex, Gender, Gender Role, and Sexual Orientation.

The author is to be especially commended for bringing together a number of resources for improving health and health care research. One chapter draws on published studies on topics such as diabetes and breast cancer to assess whether the variables of race, ethnicity, and sex used were sufficient to warrant the conclusions. Another chapter identifies several instruments designed by experts to capture the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in a population under study. Throughout, hundreds of relevant references are provided.