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Perceived Racial Discrimination as a Predictor of Health Behaviors: the Moderating Role of Gender

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Abstract

Perceived racial discrimination (PRD) has been implicated in undermining the mental and physical health of racial/ethnic minorities (e.g., Williams et al. in Am J Public Health 93:200–208, 2003; Wong et al. in J Pers 71:1197–1232, 2003). Researchers have begun to explore the indirect role of health behaviors as one factor in helping to explain this relationship. The goal of the present study was to examine the relationship between PRD and a wide range of health behaviors using a prospective, longitudinal design and to explore the role of gender in moderating these relationships. Using data from the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context Study, we examined the relationship between adolescent PRD (accumulated across ages 14–21) and health behaviors (i.e., diet, substance use, exercise) at age 30 in a sample of middle-class black men and women. Using structural equation modeling, results revealed that more cumulative PRD during adolescence was associated with less healthy eating, more substance use (among men), and more exercise (among women) in young adulthood. Implications of these findings for understanding the role of health behaviors in explaining the link between PRD and health outcomes are considered.

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Notes

  1. Results were identical when drinking, smoking, and marijuana use were considered as separate indicators. Thus, in the interest of space, we have combined these indicators into one global substance use latent variable.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 426 Thompson St., PO Box 1248, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106, USA

    Amanda B. Brodish, Courtney D. Cogburn, Thomas E. Fuller-Rowell, Stephen Peck, Oksana Malanchuk & Jacquelynne S. Eccles

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  1. Amanda B. Brodish
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  2. Courtney D. Cogburn
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  3. Thomas E. Fuller-Rowell
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  4. Stephen Peck
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  5. Oksana Malanchuk
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  6. Jacquelynne S. Eccles
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Correspondence to Amanda B. Brodish.

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Brodish, A.B., Cogburn, C.D., Fuller-Rowell, T.E. et al. Perceived Racial Discrimination as a Predictor of Health Behaviors: the Moderating Role of Gender. Race Soc Probl 3, 160–169 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-011-9050-6

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