A Call for Health Education Specialists: Addressing Racism Through an Ecological Framework

Abstract

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, racism has emerged as a priority area for the public health community. Due to systemic racism, persons of color have faced decades of inequities in education, health care, employment, transportation, housing, and other realms. These inequities have resulted in numerous disparities in health status and most recently have manifested in the disproportionate number of deaths from COVID-19 and inadequate access to COVID-19 vaccines among persons of color. We highlight historical and contemporary public health implications of racism and present strategies health education specialists can employ to address racism at each level of the ecological model.

Keywords

social determinants of health theory health equity

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