Changing Our Frameworks Can Help Parse Racial Disparities in Stress-Related Morbidity: The stratification economics framework may best clarify the causes of racial health disparities, and help to develop policy solutions.

DISEASE risk factors; PREVENTION of racism; HEALTH policy; RACISM; CONCEPTUAL structures; GENETICS; POLICY sciences; PRACTICAL politics; PSYCHOLOGICAL stress; WHITE people; PSYCHOLOGY of black people; SOCIOECONOMIC factors; HEALTH equity

Stark racial divisions along economic and social lines have long been and continue to be defining features of American life. Health disparities across racial groups are considered downstream consequences of these economic and social divisions. Neoclassical economics, political economy, and stratification economics provide potential explanations for health disparities. Preliminary support for the stratification approach is provided in the research. Understanding the causes of racial health disparities is crucial in developing better policy solutions to those disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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