25 Racism

Introduction

The Britannica Dictionary (2022) defines racism as “poor treatment of or violence against people because of their race; the belief that some races of people are better than others.” Today, racism is prevalent in many different areas of life. For instance, racism is seen in the workforce, the educational system,  living communities,  and the health care system.  When racism occurs, it negatively affects a child’s health.

How Racism Impacts Child Health

Racism not only harms adults but also harms children as well. According to Dr. Anderson, “When children experience racial discrimination, their mental health may be impacted first. Kids feel bad, which leads to depression and anxiety” (Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, 2020). In addition, racism can directly affect a child’s physical health by decreasing cardiovascular health and increasing insulin resistance. According to Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child (2020), children experience long-term effects when encountering racism. Chronic stress in children can cause physical and mental harm and inflammation in the body due to hormonal changes.

Racial Disparities in the Health Care System

According to Harvard University’s Center on the Developing child(2020), Black, indigenous, and other people of color in the U.S have more chronic health problems and a shorter lifespan than Whites. This is primarily because African Americans and other people of color in the U.S are less likely to receive consistent treatment (Mental Health Disparities, 2017). The Discrimination and Racial Health Disparities authors state that “100,000 Black persons die prematurely each year who would not die if there were no racial disparities in health” (Williams & Mohammad, 2009). In the health care system, Black children are not given the same quality of services as White children. Regarding the quality of service, “… Blacks received lower-quality health care than Whites on 43% of 191 measures”(Penner et al.,2014). An analysis of more than one million visits for children with symptoms of respiratory infections found that Black children were remarkably less likely than White children to receive antibiotics (Penner et al.,2014). To further support that African American children do not receive the same quality of service, a pediatric nephrologist saw that African American children are referred less quickly for a kidney transplant than white children. As a result, African American children are spending more time on dialysis because their time for transplant referral is delayed (Klass, 2020). Minority patients sensed that the quality of health care services stemmed from misperceptions and stereotypes. For instance, many patients felt that healthcare providers treated them differently and assumed they were poor and less educated because of their race (Smedley et al.,2003).

How to help deal with racism

Caregivers can help their children deal with racism by talking about the mistreatment. These conversations and speaking up for their children can help build a solid cultural identity (McCarthy,2020). A racial challenges discussion can include personal experiences and introduce them to diverse communities and various role models (Barker, 2020). Open communication promotes children to recognize signs of racism and understand that racism will not be tolerated. Furthermore, parents can help their children build a solid cultural identity to help them deal with racism, ultimately reducing a child’s health risk (Barker, 2020). Children hearing positive cultural history and value messages are less likely to believe that they are inferior to another race. Parents teaching their children about their cultural history can establish a strong foundation that cannot be torn down by racism and helps children navigate injustices in access to care and treatment. Lastly, parents should speak up against racial injustice happening to their children. Confronting healthcare providers displaying racial bias towards their children and holding them accountable is a start to eliminating racism in the healthcare system. By advocating for their child’s well-being, the child will learn to be assertive. Overall, this creates an atmosphere for the child to feel comfortable and maintain good health (Barker, 2020).

Resources

Listed below are resources that can help both children and caregivers become more knowledgeable about racism and provide tips on how to talk to their children about this topic.

• 16 ways to help children become thoughtful, informed, and BRAVE about race
  • EmbraceRace organization provides tips on how to raise children to become thoughtful, informed, and brave about race.
• Talking to Young Children About Race and Racism
  • PBS provides tips and resources to help caregivers have conversations with young children about race and racism. This website provides videos and articles to help caregivers have racism conversations with children and a list of recommended children’s books that celebrate diversity.
• 7 resources for talking to elementary-age kids about racism and equality
  • Kuder provides additional resources such as podcasts and articles that help caregivers introduce their children to racism.

References

American Psychiatric Association (2017). Mental Health Disparities: African Americans. https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/cultural-competency/education/mental-health-facts

Barker, J. (2021, February 11). Racism is a health issue: How it affects kids, what parents can do. Boston Children’s Answers. https://answers.childrenshospital.org/racism-child-health/

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.) Racism. https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/racism

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. (2020, October 9). How Racial Discrimination Impacts Child Health. https://www.chla.org/blog/research-blog/how-racial-discrimination-impacts-child-health

Klass, P. (2020, June 15). The impact of disparities on children’s health. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/15/well/family/the-impact-of-disparities-on-childrens-health.html

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2022, April 15). How racism can affect child development.  https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/racism-and-ecd/

McCarthy, C. (2020, January 8). How racism harms children. Harvard Health. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-racism-harms-children-2019091417788

Penner, L. A., Blair, I. V., Albrecht, T. L., & Dovidio, J. F. (2014). Reducing racial health care disparities. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 1(1), 204–212. https://doi.org/10.1177/2372732214548430

Smedley, B. D., Stith, A. Y., & Nelson, A. R. (2003). Racial disparities in health care: Highlights from focus group findings. In Unequal treatment: Confronting racial and ethnic disparities in health care. National Academies Press (US).

Williams, D. R., & Mohammed, S. A. (2009). Discrimination and racial disparities in health: Evidence and needed research. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 32(1), 20–47. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-008-9185-0