Measuring Race Among Latinos to Address Racism, Discrimination, and HIV Health Inequities: Comparing Self-Reported Race and Fitzpatrick Skin Phototype.
Diana M Sheehan, Miguel Ángel Cano, Mary Jo Trepka
PMID 33859078WHAT IT FOUND
Among 24 Latino men with HIV, 15 who checked 'White' reported skin colors from pale to olive, and 8 checked 'Other' or multiple races.
Race boxes alone may miss skin color and discrimination.
Key findings
01All 24 participants answered both the race and skin phototype questions, and among the 15 who self-identified as White, skin phototype ranged from light, pale white to olive, moderate brown.
02One participant who self-identified as Black only selected brown, dark brown, and eight participants selected either Other or more than one race.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 24 participants were analyzed. The analysis is descriptive; it did not test whether skin phototype predicts discrimination or health outcomes. Self-rated Fitzpatrick skin phototype reliability has not been tested among Latinos. The sample was recruited in South Florida and did not include Latinos of Mexican heritage. Participants were young Latino men, so findings may not apply to other ages, genders, or Latino groups.
Declared interests
The authors reported no real or perceived vested interests. The paper is listed as supported by NIH extramural research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that skin phototype is a validated replacement for race in Latino HIV care or research. This small descriptive analysis only reports frequencies, and the paper states reliability of self-rated phototype has not been tested among Latinos.