Being (Born) Black in America: Perceived Discrimination & African-American Infant Mortality
Paper first presented as a lecture at The Evergreen State College Symposium on Psychoneuroimmunology under the title "The Social Determinants of Health: African American Infant Mortality."
11 Pages Posted: 11 Nov 2012 Last revised: 26 Nov 2012
Date Written: March 1, 2008
Abstract
It is now widely recognized that African American infants are nearly two and a half times as likely as white infants to die in their first year of life. This review provides an overview of contemporary research findings on infant mortality with particular attention paid to African American infant mortality and its possible psychosocial and environmental determinants. It engages the genetic, behavioral, and socioeconomic arguments and attempts to contextualize them in the context of the current research. In the initial sections a particular effort has been made to present these findings in a meticulous, non-speculative manner. The conclusion contains critical extractions and extrapolations, as well as suggestions for further research.
Keywords: Research, Review, Subjectivity, African-Americans, Infant Mortality, Socioeconomics, Psychoneuroimmunology, Discrimination, Race, Racism, Oppression, United States, Health, Mental Health
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation