Health Equity, Racial Justice, and Sport: Study Notes for Personal Health Students

Health Equity and Immigrant Health

Introduction to Health Equity

Health equity refers to the attainment of the highest level of health for all people. Achieving health equity requires addressing avoidable inequalities, historical and contemporary injustices, and the elimination of health and healthcare disparities.

• Health Equity: The principle and goal of ensuring that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.

• Social Determinants of Health: Conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age that affect health outcomes.

Immigrant Health and the Healthy Immigrant Effect

Immigrants to Canada often arrive with better health than the Canadian-born population, a phenomenon known as the Healthy Immigrant Effect. However, this advantage declines over time due to various social and systemic factors.

• Healthy Immigrant Effect: The observed phenomenon where immigrants initially report better health outcomes than native-born populations, which deteriorates with increased time in the host country.

• Barriers include language, lack of culturally competent health services, limited access to interpretation, and unfamiliarity with available services.

• Social networks, memory sharing, economic strategies, and cultural practices (such as sport and dance) help maintain health and a sense of belonging.

Example: Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Brazilian communities maintain health through activities like cricket and capoeira, which foster social connection and cultural continuity.

Additional info: The maintenance of both a homeland and a homespace supports social health by reinforcing identity and community ties.

Health Equity and Students

Mental Health and Racial Discrimination

Black students and other racialized groups often experience ethnic discrimination, which is associated with increased symptoms of depression, PTSD, alienation, and social isolation. Protective factors include strong social networks and affinity with peers of similar backgrounds.

• Ethnic Discrimination: Unfair treatment based on race or ethnicity, leading to negative mental health outcomes.

• Protective factors such as peer support can buffer against psychological distress and improve academic outcomes.

Example: Black students who feel connected to other Black students report better mental health and academic performance.

Barriers in Sport and Education

Black students face multiple barriers in sport and educational settings, including lack of diversity, structural racism, and racial microaggressions.

• Lack of Diversity: Underrepresentation of racialized groups in athletics, coaching, and administration.

• Structural Racism: Systemic policies and practices that perpetuate racial inequity.

• Racial Microaggressions: Everyday verbal, behavioral, or environmental slights that communicate negative attitudes based on race.

Position	Percentage White
Student Athletes	71.3%
Coaches	78.5%
Administrators	80.1%
Athletic Directors	100%

Example: Black athletes report experiences of exclusion, microaggressions, and being questioned about their belonging in academic and athletic programs.

Strategies for Health Equity in Student Populations

• Expand counsellor racial diversity and enhance cultural competency of mental health providers.

• Review curriculum and training for inclusivity.

• Build trust between communities and healthcare providers.

• Increase knowledge of social determinants of health in Black communities.

• Shift norms against psychological help-seeking in Black communities.

Additional info: Addressing these issues is both an educational and health imperative, requiring systemic change and health education.

Health Equity and Youth: The Case of Black QT+ Ballroom

Barriers to Health and Survival

Black queer and trans (QT+) youth face significant barriers to health, including verbal harassment, discrimination in healthcare, limited access to services, and violence in sports environments.

• High rates of verbal harassment and fear of being stopped or profiled.

• Discomfort and discrimination in healthcare settings.

• Sports environments, such as locker rooms, can be unsafe.

• Youth may change fashion or accent for protection.

Ballroom Culture: Origins and Health Significance

Ballroom culture originated as a safer space for Black QT+ individuals to express themselves through fashion, dance, and performance. It provides physical and financial security, chosen family, and opportunities for self-actualization.

• Ballroom Houses: Serve as chosen families, offering mentorship, affirmation, and kinship.

• Balls: Events that feature performance, runway, and fashion, fostering community and resilience.

Ballroom as Embodied Activism and Joy

Ballroom enables performers to assert agency, resist systemic racism, and foster healing. It is a site of embodied activism, radical joy, and community wellness.

• Performance categories encourage beauty, gender play, and storytelling, challenging dominant cultural norms.

• Ballroom is essential for youth health equity, providing safer spaces for joy, belonging, and identity exploration.

Example: Artistic and physical skill development in ballroom builds confidence, empowerment, and physical endurance.

Key Terms and Concepts

• Health Equity: Fair and just opportunity for health for all.

• Healthy Immigrant Effect: Initial health advantage of immigrants that declines over time.

• Structural Racism: Systemic policies and practices that perpetuate racial inequity.

• Racial Microaggressions: Everyday slights or insults based on race.

• Ballroom Culture: Community and performance space for Black QT+ individuals, fostering health and resilience.