Racism and racial iniquities in poor self-rated health: the role of intergenerational social mobility in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil)

• Autor(a) principal: Lidyane V. Camelo
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Carolina Gomes Coelho, Dóra Chor, Rosane Harter Griep, Maria da Conceição Chagas de Almeida, Luana Giatti, Sandhi Maria Barreto
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por; eng
• Título da fonte: Cadernos de Saúde Pública
• Texto Completo: https://cadernos.ensp.fiocruz.br/ojs/index.php/csp/article/view/8035
• topic: Racism; Race; Health Status Disparities; Social Mobility; Social Inequality; Racismo; Raça; Disparidades nos Níveis de Saúde; Mobilidade Social; Iniquidade Social; Racismo; Raza; Disparidades en el Estado de Salud; Movilidade Social; Iniquidad Social

Blacks and Browns have major health disadvantages, are less likely to rise in the social hierarchy throughout the course of life, and pertain to lower socioeconomic levels than Whites as a result of structural racism. However, little is known about the mediating role of intergenerational mobility in the association between race/skin color and health. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between racism and self-rated health and to verify to what extent intergenerational social mobility mediates this association. This was a cross-sectional study conducted with data from 14,386 participants from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) baseline (2008-2010). Maternal education, education of the participant, socio-occupational class of the head of household, and socio-occupational class of the participant were used in the indicators of intergenerational social mobility (educational and socio-occupational). Logistic regression models were used. The prevalence of poor self-rated health was 15%, 24%, and 28% among Whites, Browns, and Blacks, respectively. After adjustments for age, sex, and research center, greater chances of poor self-rated health were found among Blacks (OR = 2.15; 95%CI: 1.92-2.41) and Browns (OR = 1.82; 95%CI: 1.64-2.01) when compared to Whites. Intergenerational educational and socio-occupational mobility mediated, respectively, 66% and 53% of the association between race/color and poor self-rated health in Blacks, and 61% and 51% in Browns, respectively. Results confirm racial iniquity in self-rated health and point out that unfavorable intergenerational social mobility is an important mechanism to explain this iniquity.