Race/Ethnicity, Health, and Mortality

<jats:p>Despite long‐documented disparities in health and mortality across racial and ethnic groups, reducing differences in health outcomes and ensuring that all people enjoy long and healthy lives remains a priority for research in sociology. The study of race/ethnicity and health has expanded beyond disease indicators that account for differences in mortality to address social inequalities, racial inequities, and the pursuit of health equity. Undergirded in empirical discussion, this entry leads with a formal definition of health disparities, followed by a brief discussion of sociological contributions to the study of race/ethnicity, health, and mortality. Next, social determinants of health (SDOH), including racism, itself a fundamental cause of enduring health disparities in the United States, are examined. The entry concludes with an account of the challenges associated with research on race/ethnicity, health, and mortality.</jats:p>