Extensive research shows the link between exposure to racism during childhood and adolescence and increased risks of depression and metabolic health issues, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Conversely, racial socialization, described as behaviors and practices that teach children about race and ethnic identity, has shown potential in mitigating these negative effects, and discussions like these could be effective in pediatric clinics, according to the first expert consensus guidance on this topic published in Pediatrics . Over the years, numerous calls to action have been made to address racism in medicine.
However, there's been little guidance on how to have these conversations within clinical settings. Pediatric clinicians, in particular, have a unique opportunity to incorporate crucial conversations about race and racism into clinical visits, as these interactions occur during key developmental stages of a child's life." Nia Heard-Garris, MD, MBA, MSc, senior author, researcher and pediatrician at Ann & Robert H.
Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Dr. Shawnese Clark, lead study author, and research team conducted the consensus study. It involved a panel of pediatric clinicians and psychologists with expertise in racism and child health, as well as parents and adolescents with lived experience of racism.
They identified overarching themes to consider before, during, an.
