Skin Tone Stratification and the Hispanic Health Paradox

• In Event: 40861 - Section on Sociology of Population Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 3: Racial and Ethnic Inequality and Health

Abstract

Despite lower educational status, wealth, income, and access to healthcare compared to White Americans Hispanics tend to live longer lives and exhibit similar or better health status. One set of explanations for the well-known Hispanic Health Paradox contends that observed differences reflect countervailing patterns of health advantage and disadvantage owing to heterogeneity within the Hispanic population. For instance, prior work has examined whether patterns persist by legal status, migrant selection factors, and return migration, yet less research has considered the role of racialization. The interaction between racialization and socioeconomic status is crucial to understanding health disparities, however patterns suggest Hispanic health advantages persist in spite of economic disadvantages. Building on an extensive literature on skin tone and colorism in Latin America and the U.S, I examine whether White-Hispanic health differences vary by Hispanic skin tone and the extent to which health paradoxes extend across the color gradient. Using data from the NLSY97 on a representative sample of American adults (N=9027), I find that differences in self-rated health results corroborate colorism hypotheses that the darkest-skinned individuals face the greatest health disadvantages. However, health advantages in the form of better self-rated health and reduced risk of physical injury are primarily concentrated amongst medium-skinned Hispanics compared to White Americans. Taken together these results suggest that the Hispanic Health Paradox persists among light-skinned and medium-skinned groups but does not extend to dark-skinned Hispanics. Yet, results showing medium-skinned health advantages across measures diverge from patterns implied by skin tone stratification, highlighting the intersectionality of racializaation on Hispanics' health outcomes.

Author

• Thelonious Goerz, Cornell University