Virtual Research Colloquium: Samuel L. K. Baxter, MPH, Dept. of Health Policy and Management

TITLE || This is us: Studying Black Men’s Health Amid the ‘White Gaze’

DESCRIPTION/ABSTRACT || 

Black men, under the age of 50, are more than twice as likely to develop and die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) than White men their same age.  Much of men’s health literature examining CVD risk focuses on individual-level causes (i.e. healthcare practices, socioeconomic status, risk-taking behaviors, and gender roles) to explain CVD differences among men.

While important, these normative means of correcting disparity disregard upstream drivers of health.  Also known as social determinants of health, these drivers are the consequence of unfair and unjust place-based distributions of resources, power, and privileges.  It follows then, the impact of social determinants of health on racial disparities depends on both who people are and where they live—place.

Racial residential segregation (RRS) is one aspect of place that has received increased attention in public health literature since the turn of the century. RRS refers to the extent that two or more racial groups live in separate neighborhood environments. Often a neglected variable in investigations of racial health disparities, RRS is a fundamental determinant of racial inequities in America.

With this in mind, this dissertation study (in progress) focuses on how RRS impacts Black-White differences in cardiovascular health among young men.  During this presentation, preliminary findings from two aims, one quantitative and one community-engaged, will be shared. Additionally, this presentation considers the white gaze in health scholarship. Discussions will explore ways to identify, cope with, de-center, and pass the white gaze in academic writing.