Residential Segregation and Health Outcomes in the United States: Moving Beyond Black and White

Recent research in the United States has found a strong negative association between segregation and minority health outcomes. However, few studies have been conducted which examine this relationship in light of the theoretical processes which could produce such an association. Further, the bulk of this literature is focused on the Black case with little attention as to how this may affect other racial/ethnic minority groups. Using the 2011-2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) combined with metropolitan-level data, I examine the relationship between residential segregation and poor self-rated health for the three largest racial/ethnic minority groups in the US (Blacks, Latinos and Asians), with Whites serving as a comparison group. Moreover, I analyze a variety of factors which could account for this association based on theories of segregation, including economic considerations and immigration. Overall, I find a strong association between racial residential segregation and poor self-rated health across all of the three largest racial/ethnic minority groups in the US. However, this association is partially accounted for by economic factors in the case of Black Americans and fully accounted for by immigration in the case of Asian Americans. These results suggest that segregation should be an important consideration in our understanding of minority health disparities.