London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Structural racism is resulting in stark health inequalities among people from some ethnic backgrounds in London, according to a study by one of the UK’s top public health experts.
More than half (52%) of black children and almost three-quarters (70%) of Bangladeshi and Pakistani children are extending up in relative poverty after housing expenses in London, compared with a quarter (26%) of white children. And unemployment among young black people aged between 16 and 24 is more than doubled that of white people the same age, the paper says. Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller young people have the most elevated rate, at 40%.
How does structural racism impact health outcomes in London?
The review, guided by the UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE) led by Prof Sir Michael Marmot, discovered that people who are repeatedly exposed to structural racism during their daily lives undergo worse physical and mental health as a direct consequence. It also displays that ethnic inequalities in poverty, housing and employment led to poorer health outcomes for these ethnic groups.
It figured that these economic inequalities, which can be attributed to structural racism, lead to poorer health results for minority groups in London, as they are less likely to have access to decent housing, healthy meals and other factors that influence a person’s health outcomes.
How are public health organizations failing minority communities?
Marmot, the director of the IHE and writer of a seminal review into health inequalities in the UK in 2010, expressed that structural racism “is a scar on society” and public health organisations are failing by not directly managing the effects racism has on a person’s health. “Social justice requires that we take the action necessary to deal with it. It is a profound injustice if the conditions for good health are unequally distributed, depending on ethnicity,” Marmot expressed. “Especially so, where that unequal distribution results from the evils of racism. Inequalities in the social determinants of health are storing up health problems for the future.”
What evidence supports the impact of racism on health?
He said: “Concentrating on disease and healthcare services fails to address three effects of racism on health. First, how racism directly damages health and wellbeing. Second, the reasons why some ethnic groups are more likely to be in poverty, experience poor housing, suffer in the educational and criminal justice system, be low paid and undergo racism and poor employment prospects – all of which damage health. Third, it does not deal with racism that leads to more harmful experiences of healthcare and other services and poorer outcomes as a result.”
Prof Kevin Fenton, a public health director for London and president of the Faculty of Public Health, stated: “This new report shows clearly the devastating effect that structural racism continues to have on the health and wellbeing of Londoners in 2024. It adds to the growing body of work delivering evidence on the persistent, pervasive and damaging impacts of structural racism, and why tackling these problems must be taken forward as a key public health issue.”