Dr. Yong-Mi Kim of SLIS and Chie Noyori-Corbett of the School of Social Work at the University of Oklahoma, recently published Ethnic Density as a Key Factor to Narrow Health Disparities: A Case of American Indians and Alaska Natives. This research investigates the impact of ethnic density on physical health outcomes, specifically blood pressure, BMI, and diabetes.
The findings challenge the prevailing literature, which frequently underscores a strong correlation between socioeconomic status and these physical health conditions. Contrary to these established studies, our research reveals that despite lower socioeconomic status, social interactions within ethnic groups have a positive effect on health outcomes.
