*5.2. A Systematic Review of Empirical Research on Self-Reported Racism and Health*

Paradies (2006) reviewed 138 quantitative research articles and similarly found that racism is associated with poor health for oppressed racial groups. Negative mental health and mental illness were found to have the strongest associations [2]. Five key pathways between racism and health were identified; racism was related to: (1) reduced access to employment, housing and education, and/or increased exposure to risk factors such as contact with police; (2) adverse cognitive/emotional experiences and psychopathology; (3) allostatic load and concomitant patho-physiological processes; (4) reduced participation in healthy behaviours such as exercise and/or increased participation in unhealthy behaviors such as substance use; and (5) physical injury as a result of racist violence [2].
