Multifaceted contribution of environmental pollution, race and income to health inequities in Texas

Abstract

Abstract Prior studies found links between ethnic background, socioeconomic status, and proximity to toxic environmental contaminants harmful to human health. However, there is no consensus among environmental economists on whether ethnicity or economics are the primary causes of health inequity under the influence of environmental hazard exposure. This paper explores this research question in Texas, the second largest US state, and the most diverse demographically, using a comprehensive framework with twelve main factors as key determinants for environmental-related health outcomes. The matrix of associations among factors of environmental pollution, economic class, race/ethnicity, and state of health is very complicated by multiple inter-correlations among components. To differentiate the relative importance of various factors, twelve statistically large population cohorts were compared, based on four racial/ethnic groups, each with three different levels of poverty. This novel approach allows for more meaningful comparisons, by normalizing groups for ethnicity and prevalence of poverty, two of the most influential socioeconomic factors. Compared to majority-White communities, majority-Hispanic and -Black communities were found to be more disproportionally negatively impacted by environmental pollution and socioeconomic challenges. This resulted in worse health outcomes: higher prevalence of chronic diseases and a shortened life span. The prevalence of poverty appears to play a dominant role in health outcomes across all racial/ethnic groups. Consistent with prior research, the Hispanic community has shown a strong positive correlation with the prevalence of diabetes, while the Black community has a high prevalence of asthma.