IS RESEARCH INTO ETHNICITY AND HEALTH RACIST, UNSOUND OR IMPORTANT SCIENCE

Much historical research on race, intelligence, and health was racist, unethical, and ineffective. The concepts of race and ethnicity are di fficult to define but continue to be applied to the study of the healt h of immigrant and ethnic minority groups in the hope of advancing und erstanding of causes of disease. While a morass of associations has be en generated, race and ethnicity in health research have seldom given fundamental new understanding of disease. Most such research is ''blac k box epidemiology.'' Researchers have not overcome the many conceptua l and technical problems of research into ethnicity and health. By emp hasising the negative aspects of the health of ethnic minority groups, research may have damaged their social standing and deflected attenti on from their health priorities, Unless researchers recognise the diff iculties with research into ethnicity and health and correct its weakn esses, 20th century research in this subject may suffer the same ignom inious fate as that ofrace science in the 19th century.