Racial Residential Segregation and Access to Health-Related Organizations in Urban Neighborhoods

• In Event: 095 - Section on Community and Urban Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 04. Residential Segregation

Abstract

Recent research has considered the role of racial/ethnic residential segregation as it relates to health and health care outcomes in the United States. In this paper, I employ key theories of segregation and urban inequality to explain the spatial distribution of health-related organizations. Using data from the 2010 County Business Patterns and the U.S. Census in a series of spatial regression models, I examine the distribution of a variety of health-related organizations across the United States. I find that the concentration and clustering of racial/ethnic minorities (Blacks and, to a lesser extent, Latinos and Asians) in urban neighborhoods is inversely associated with the number of health-related organizations, including food resources, physical fitness facilities, health care resources, civic associations, and social service organizations. The spatial distribution of health-related organizations could help to explain broader links between racial/ethnic segregation and health across the life course.

Author

• Kathryn Freeman Anderson, University of Arizona