Poor health disparities among racialized students in a Canadian university

J Am Coll Health. 2024 Feb-Mar;72(2):346-350. doi: 10.1080/07448481.2022.2047702. Epub 2022 Mar 10.

Abstract

Objective: The short report aims to examine differences in self-rated general health across racialized post-secondary students at a university in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: Binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine poor health as an outcome among racialized students as whole, as well as across Asian, South Asian, Afro-Caribbean and Middle Eastern student groups in comparison to white Caucasian post-secondary students.

Results: After adjusting for several covariates, racialized students as a whole had 2.43 times the odds of reporting poor general health compared to white Caucasian students. Asian (OR = 2.77; CI = 1.84-4.18; p < 0.05) and South Asian (OR = 2.52; CI = 1.56-4.08; p < 0.05) students were significantly more likely to report poor health compared to white Caucasian students.

Conclusion: The findings call for further attention to the health needs of racialized post-secondary students living in Canada and creating campuses where diverse student populations feel safe and systemically included.

Keywords: General health status; health inequities; higher education; racialized students.

MeSH terms

  • Canada
  • Ethnicity*
  • Health Inequities
  • Humans
  • Ontario
  • Students*
  • Universities