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05/03/2005:

"Poor health linked to subtle racism?"

WASHINGTON — When Sandi Stokes waits for lunch at the sandwich shop near her office in downtown Washington, she notices the counter worker often assumes the white person next to her was there first.

Brenda Person frequently finds that when she goes shopping near her home in Silver Spring, Md., clerks seem to ignore her and instead help a white customer.

Peggy Geigher, a District of Columbia resident, says restaurant hostesses often seem to seat her near the bathroom, even when better tables are available.

Many African Americans tell stories like these — seemingly minor examples of subtle discrimination they experience routinely.

"It happens all the time," said Person, 56, a mother of two daughters. "It's part of day-to-day experiences, unfortunately. But you are never prepared for it — it makes you feel like you're out of rhythm with the rest of the world, and like there's no justice."

Some medical researchers have begun to suspect that such incidents take a physical toll and may play a role in why black people tend to have poorer health than white people. Chronic, low-level stress from such incidents may increase the risk for a host of ills, including heart disease and cancer, according to the theory.

The hypothesis remains far from proven and is highly controversial. Skeptics say it is difficult to rule out other factors, such as diet, lifestyle, personal perceptions and cultural differences. But support for the theory has been accumulating slowly, including a new study released yesterday linking such experiences to the early stages of heart disease. Some researchers say it is among the strongest pieces of evidence so far.
Full: seattletimes.nwsource

This is sort of a no-brainer. What about the epidemic of chronic asthma in inner-city children? There are very real environmental factors as well, but the metaphor of not being able to breathe here...