Alexandra MartinSOC 110Prof. Miller17 June 2020Whites may be healthier, but it’s not genetic.It has long been the case that African Americans and other minorities have poorer healthacross the board when compared to whites, and it’s not just because of genetics. One way to interpretthe intersection between public health and racism is through the sociological perspective of ConflictTheory. Conflict theory itself is the idea that all societies and people are in a state of perpetualconflict because of competition for limited opportunities and resources. In this case, the wealth andpower of many white people are constantly in conflict with the minorities and lower classes. Therehas and long will be a health disparity between races, and there are many factors that contribute tothis. Social and economic status play a big role in the access to nutritious, healthy foods. It has longbeen an issue of the price disparity between healthy foods like vegetables and cheap foods likeinstant noodles which many low income families rely on to eat. In addition to this, there is a lack ofrecreational facilities and focus on physical education. Without physical exercise or leisure activities,the stress of financial hardships bring about health problems such as high blood pressure. Like wehave talked about previously, low-income and minority workers are more likely to work in unsafe,toxic environments. Because of red-lining, many minority communities are highly concentrated andtherefore segregated from many of the facilities that more affluent neighborhoods have access to. In
