Dissecting Racial and Ethnic Differences

This article has no abstract; the first 100 words appear below.

It is well known that disease does not affect the population equally. Assessing variation in the rates of disease according to demographic factors such as sex and race or ethnicity is the basis of epidemiologic research and affects clinical and public health practice. The basis for such differences — in particular, among self-identified racial and ethnic groups — has recently been the focus of heightened discussion. The concept of race has perhaps triggered the greatest controversy, since it has been used historically to provide support for the mistreatment of one group by another. Also, the assignment of persons of mixed . . .