The Black diaspora and health inequalities in the US and England: does where you go and how you get there make a difference?

Nazroo, James and Jackson, James and Karlsen, Saffron and Torres, Myriam (2007) The Black diaspora and health inequalities in the US and England: does where you go and how you get there make a difference?. Sociology of Health & Illness 29(6):811-830.

Abstract

The relatively poor health of Black American people in the US and Black
Caribbean people in England is a consistent finding in the health inequalities
literature. Indeed, there are many similarities between the health, social,
economic and demographic profiles of these two groups. However, there is
evidence that Caribbean people in the US are faring considerably better. This
paper explores differences in the social and economic position of Black American,
Black Caribbean and white people in the US and Black Caribbean and white
people in England, how these relate to ethnic inequalities in health, and may be
underpinned by differences in patterns and contexts of migration. We use similar
surveys from the US and England to explore these questions. The US data were
drawn from the National Survey of American Life and the English data were
drawn from the Health Survey for England and a follow up study. Findings show
the advantaged health position of Caribbean American people in comparison
with both Caribbean people in England and Black American people. Multivariate
analyses indicate that these differences, and the differences in health between
Black and white people in the two countries, are a consequence of social and
economic inequalities.