uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation Accumulating evidenc

Accumulating evidence documents racial disparities in allostatic load, such that blacks report significantly higher levels of allostatic load than whites (Crimmins & Saito, 2000; Geronimus et al., 2006; Kaestner, Pearson, Keene, & Geronimus, 2009; Peek et al., 2010; Seeman, Epel, Gruenewald, Karlamangla, & McEwen, 2010). Consistent with the weathering hypothesis, these patterns also persist across the life course. For instance, Crimmins, Johnston, Hayward, and Seeman (2003) find that the age pattern in allostatic load varies by race/ethnicity in the National Health and Nutrition Study, suggesting accelerated dysregulation among blacks. Furthermore, Geronimus et al. (2006) note that although black-white allostatic load disparities were present across all age groups, they were especially pronounced after age 30; in the same study, they find racial disparities were also observed at every SES level and greatest among high SES blacks. Taken together, these studies demonstrate significant black-white differences in allostatic load. Nevertheless, the pathways linking uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation to physiological well-being remain unclear. Although prior research has made significant contributions to our understanding of ways that race, vis-à-vis racial self identification, is linked to health differentials, the question of how and why multiple dimensions of blacks’ racial identification are linked to health disparities remains unanswered. Specifically, while the conceptualization and measurement of race is critical in health disparities research, most studies in this area to date have relied on measures of self-reported racial identification that corresponds to one of predetermined racial classifications outlined by the Office of Management and Budget (Saperstein, Penner, & Light, 2013; Snipp, 2003). In reality, race is a multidimensional marker of difference based on how individuals describe themselves, and how others perceive them (Campbell & Troyer, 2007; Harris, 2002). A key dimension of socially-assessed race is skin tone. In this study, we consider interviewer-ratings of blacks’ skin tone as one aspect of blacks’ observed racial identification or socially-assigned race because interviewer assessments represent perceptions of generalized others. As noted earlier, within the context of social interactions, individuals often rely on external phenotypical characteristics to determine the racial identification of others (Jones et al., 2008). Therefore, inclusion of interviewer-rated skin tone allows for the examination of how socially perceived skin tone, a proxy for socially-assigned racial identification, may impact the physiological well-being of black Americans and shape racial health disparities. In other words, we consider whether individuals’ own racial group identification or the way they are identified by others via socially perceived skin tone, differentially shape patterns in allostatic load. By examining both self-identified and socially-assigned race, we aim to clarify the ways the multidimensional construct of race influences health and well-being.
Present Study Bridging prior research on the social construction of race, skin tone among black Americans, and health disparities, the present study examines the extent to which multiple dimensions of blacks’ racial identification may shed new light on the mechanisms underlying persistent black-white health disparities. Specifically, we ask: This examination offers several advantages that may collectively provide an advance over prior research on racial health disparities. First, in contrast to most research in this area, we empirically assess the health significance of two dimensions of racial identification: racial self-identification and a marker of socially assigned race as measured by social perceptions of blacks’ skin shade (Roth, 2016). Second, rather than utilize a subjective assessment of health status, we examine variations in allostatic load, a cumulative indicator of physiological dysregulation that has been also viewed as a conceptually useful measure to assess how social inequality “gets under the skin” (Green & Darity, 2010). To our knowledge, we are the first study to examine skin tone variations in allostatic load.