Modeling health inequities research in context and the minority researcher’s role

Authors

Ari Mwachofi, University of OklahomaFollow
Ngure WaMwachofi, Ideas Unlimited International, Inc.

Keywords

Discrimination in medical care; Health inequalities; Health services accessibility; Minorities — Medical care – Research; Minority representation

Disciplines

Community-Based Research | Inequality and Stratification | Medicine and Health | Public Health | Race and Ethnicity

Abstract

Current health inequities research templates are flawed and self-defeating because they do not include historical inequalities as the central context that points to the root causes of health inequities. The context includes structural malformations which are products of the history of colonization and slavery that created racial separation and hierarchies which established Whites as the dominant group and non-Whites (minorities) as the subordinate group. Consequently it is difficult for mainstream researchers to capture the minorities’ core knowledge necessary for the creation of relevant and effective interventions for fundamental and sustainable improvement of their health. This paper proposes a health inequities research model that captures the context of health inequities and the essential and unique role of minority researchers.

Recommended Citation

Mwachofi, Ari and WaMwachofi, Ngure (2009) "Modeling health inequities research in context and the minority researcher’s role," Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice: Vol. 3: Iss. 3, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/vol3/iss3/2