California and the Changing American Narrative on Diversity Race and Health

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Health Affairs, September 2018, “California and the Changing American Narrative on Diversity, Race, and Health.”

Abstract: The rise in racial and health diversity in California was believed to have adverse effects on the average health of the population but has, instead, improved the commonly speculated health disparities, such as infant mortality rate, life expectancy, and mortality rate. We present an alternative narrative against the archaic negative social determinants of health, and imply that racial diversity may improve the average health of a population and be considered a positive determinant of health. Read the full analysis, using national mortality data on racial/ethnic groups, and suggestions for developing a new theoretical model to assist the U.S. in achieving high levels of wellness at: https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/abs/10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0427