Place could impact health disparities more than race

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-10/jhub-pci102815.php

Public Release: 28-Oct-2015
Place could impact health disparities more than race
Living environment may be to blame for behaviors contributing to health disparities among US men
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

African American and white men who live in racially integrated communities and who have comparable incomes have far fewer differences when it comes to behaviors that contribute to poor health -- such as physical inactivity, smoking and drinking -- compared to African American and white men overall in the U.S., according to a new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The researchers say their findings, published in the October/December 2015 issue of the journal Family & Community Health, indicate that differences in social and living environments may help to explain racial disparities that exist nationally for habits and lifestyle choices that play a key role in the health of U.S. men.

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tags: influence