Was the term used to mean the white people from the west?
Answers
Answer:
question is not so clear
Answer:
ContemporaryEuropeanandAmericanresearchonrace,ethnicity,andhealthusespoorlydefinedlabelstodescribestudypopu-lations.Thesearchforaccurateterminologyremaiscontroversial,forscientificandsocialreasons,1-16asilustratedbydiscussionsofthetermsHispanic34andAsian5andthechangingmeaningofethnicityandraceintheUnitedKingdom"andtheUnitedStates.2"2Researchersshoulddescribethestudypopula-tions,definethetermsused,andavoidlump-ingtogetherheterogeneouspopulations.3'57Thecontroversy2andscholarlyandpoliticaldebate'2'6havelargelybypassedthelabelWhite.WordssuchasWhiteandCaucasianhavebeenacceptedasself-evidentlysuitable.While,forexample,thelabelsHispanicandSouthAsianareindexedinkeytextbooks,'0"'Whiteisnot.WhiteisinstitutionalizedinthecensusesoftheUnitedStatesandtheUnitedKingdomandisusedfreelyincompilingstatistics,'4inepi-demiology,'"andinclinicalmedicine.RacialandethnicnomenclatureintheUnitedStatesisdominatedbytheclassifica-tionoftheOfficeofManagementandBud-get,whichwasdevisedbyasubcommitteeoftheFederalInteragencyCommitteeonEducation.'6Itwasadoptedin1977andhasbeenreviewed.'5Itspurposewastocollectdataongroupsthatarediscrimnatedagainst,primarilyformonitoringcivilrights.'6Therecentreviewdrewhttleattentiontothecate-goryWhite,althoughtherewererequeststoincludeEuropean-American,German-American,andArab-Americancategories.'6TheUScensushas10subcategoriesforAsiansandPacificIslandersbutnoneforWhites,whoaccountedfor80%ofthepopu-lationin1990.TheBritishcensusissimilar.Whiteiseffectivelyacategoryforeveryoneleftoutofspecificracialandethnicgroups.Researcherstendtorelyontheseclassifica-tionsbecauseofcostandconvenience,eventhoughtheyweredevisedforadifferentpur-poseotherthanresearch.Ashealthandsocialresearchisanimportantby-productofstatisticsonpopulation,thisdebateisrele-vanttofuturediscussionsonthecensus.Gimenez3notedtheproblemoflumpingtogetherheterogeneousminoritygroupsunderonelabelbutdidnotconsiderWhitegroups.Williamsetal.'8alsopointedtoculturalandhealthvariationswithincategories(e.g.,AfncanAmencans,AsianAmericans)butnotwithinWhitepopulations.HahnandStroup'3criticizedtheAtlasofUSCancerAmongNon-Whites:1950-1980forcombiningdataforallnon-WhitesbutnotforcombiningWhitesintoonegroup.TheBritishMedicalJournal'sguidanceemphasizestheneedtodescribethepopulationsstudiedandtoavoidshorthandethnicandraciallabels.Examplesaregivenforminoritygroups,butnotforthemajoritypopulation.CriticalappraisalofthetermWhiteandsimilarlabelsisoverdue.TheTermWhiteinMedicineandEpidemiologyIntheUnitedStatesthepatient'sracial/ethnicgroupisoftengivenintheopeningofacasepresentation.CaldwellandPopenoe'7havearguedthatraciallabelingofpatientsissuperficialandmisleadingandshouldbeabandonedinthiscontext.Raciallabelsarecommoninresearchonpopulations.WilliamsshowedthatinthejournalHealthServicesResearch,55%ofTheauthorsarewiththeDepartmentofEpidemiologyandPublicHealth,TheMedicalSchool,UniversityofNewcastleuponTyne,NewcastleuponTyne,England.RequestsforreprintsshouldbesenttoRajBhopal,MD,DepartmentofEpidemiologyandPub-licHealth,TheMedicalSchool,UniversityofNew-castleuponTyne,FramlingtonPlace,NewcastleuponTyne,NE24HH,UnitedKingdom(e-mail:r.s.bhopal(ncl.ac.uk).ThispaperwasacceptedFebruary24,1998.Editor'sNote.SeerelatedcommentbyFullilove(p1297)inthisissue.