Health and Ethnicity

In modern multicultural societies, the topic of 'health and ethnicity' has become increasingly recognized as highly relevant.

All too frequently, academic coverage of the topic has been scattered in specialist literature of different disciplines; a book bringing these perspectives together has so far been lacking.

The aim of the book is to explain the diversity in health experience due to determinants and factors that can be described as 'ethnic'.

Both 'ethnicity' and 'health' are words that have stimulated semantic debate, and yet too seldom is sufficient sensitivity given over to the complexity of the issue.

The biological complexity in understanding ethnic factors contributing to measurable pathologies lies in the interaction of genetic variation and lifestyle differences.

Diversity in both of these is found within and between cultural subgroups of larger social and geographic categories.

Differences range from diet and other consumptions to traditional remedies, from religious beliefs to marriage patterns, from exercise to clothing, and much more. Additionally, psychological and socio-economic correlates of ethnic status are deeply intertwined with the well-being of the individual.

Coverage of this topic has grown in both academic and popular writing, but none before have included authors from the medical, social and biological sciences.

This volume allows biomedical and social scientists to discuss the issue of health and ethnicity alongside each other.

It explores both anthropological and epidemiological perspectives in ethnicity and health research, providing a useful summary of the main issues for researchers working in this area.

It includes clinically focused chapters on cardiovascular disease, mental health, haemoglobinopathies and diabetes, and biological perspectives on genetic variation and consanguinity.