What Are High-Quality Race and Ethnicity Data and How Are They Used in Health Equity Research?

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic changed public awareness of the importance of high-quality race and ethnicity data for identifying and redressing widely documented racial and ethnic health inequity. This article emphasizes the importance of high-quality race and ethnicity data in health equity research, as highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The article defines what constitutes high-quality race and ethnicity data, discusses challenges in using these data, and provides 2 cases that illustrate the role of these data in identifying and redressing health inequity. Finally, this article advocates for the use of accurate, standardized, and granular data and highlights the need for community engagement and trust building to improve data quality and research outcomes.