Racial/ethnic differences in self-reported racism and its association with cancer-related health behaviors

Abstract

Objectives: We used population-based survey data to estimate the prevalence of self-reported racism across racial/ethnic groups and to evaluate the association between self-reported racism and cancer-related health behaviors.

Methods: We used cross-sectional data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey. Questions measured self-reported racism in general and in health care. The cancer risk behaviors we assessed were smoking, binge drinking, not walking, being overweight or obese, and not being up to date with screenings for breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancers. Analyses included descriptive analyses and logistic regression.

Results: Prevalences of self-reported racism varied between and within aggregate racial/ethnic groups. In adjusted analyses, general racism was associated with smoking, binge drinking, and being overweight or obese; health care racism was associated with not being up to date with screening for prostate cancer. Associations varied across racial/ethnic groups.

Conclusions: Associations between general racism and lifestyle behaviors suggest that racism is a potential stressor that may shape cancer-related health behaviors, and its impact may vary by race/ethnicity.

FIGURE 1

Weighted percent of self-reported general racism and health care racism, by racial/ethnic group: California Health Interview Survey, 2003. Note. AIAN = American Indian/Alaska Native; API = Asian American and Pacific Islander. Sample sizes for each racial/ethnic group are given in parentheses.