Abstract
AbstractIt is well established that there are differentials in health among individuals of different Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) heritage. BME communities are unevenly concentrated across England and Wales. This paper examines the effect of residential density of one's own‐ethnic group on physical health outcomes in England and Wales. In addition, it explores whether the effects of ethnic density on physical health outcomes are concealed by area deprivation and whether individual economic deprivation and area deprivation play a role in this relationship. Data on BME and White British individuals from the first wave of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (Understanding Society) are linked with ethnic density characteristics from the 2011 UK Census and with the Index of Multiple Deprivation from the 2010 English and Welsh Governments. Multilevel logistic regression is then employed in the analysis. The results show that individuals from BME groups who live in areas with a high density of their own‐ethnic group are more likely to report poor health, but these effects are mediated by both individual economic deprivation and area deprivation. The results highlight that facilitating the improvement of economic and social conditions for individuals in deprived areas could help reduce the negative differentials in health outcomes experienced by individuals from BME communities. © 2016 The Authors Population, Space and Place Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Highlights
I n 2011, the ethnic minorities’ population in England and Wales had risen to 7 million from 3 million in 1991, accounting for 14% of the total population (Jivraj, 2012)
This paper investigates whether the effect of own-ethnic density and area deprivation on physical health varies across different Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups
Given the unclear associations between ethnic density, area deprivation, and physical health, as well as the higher-level geography scales used in previous studies, the aim of this paper is to provide a more precise understanding of such associations among individuals from BME groups and White British individuals
Summary
I n 2011, the ethnic minorities’ (non-White) population in England and Wales had risen to 7 million from 3 million in 1991, accounting for 14% of the total population (Jivraj, 2012). People of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) are unevenly concentrated across England and Wales (Clark & Drinkwater, 2002; Simpson & Finney, 2009), and areas of high ethnic population density are associated with a high level of area deprivation (Feng et al, 2016). Health inequalities between BME and White British individuals have been well documented in the UK (e.g. DH, 2009), with individuals from BME groups generally more likely to report poor general health than the White British population (Karlsen & Nazroo, 2010) Against this context, the study of the relationship between ethnic density and health outcomes for individuals from ethnic communities at the neighbourhood level has direct relevance for understanding health inequalities between individuals from BME communities and White British individuals and between individuals from different BME groups (Pickett & Wilkinson, 2008).
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