Scientific Racism Attitudes Among Diverse Undergraduate Pre–Health Professions Students

Abstract

Scientific racism, or the belief that racial hierarchies are explained by biological differences, among health care professionals may contribute to the oversight of social causes of health problems and result in poor quality of care. This study examines the extent to which scientific racism may permeate undergraduate pre–health professions student worldviews before entering advanced training. Undergraduate students (n = 251) pursuing training in health professions from The University of Texas at San Antonio completed a survey in 2018 measuring respondent level of agreement with statements about biological differences between U.S. racial and ethnic groups, as well as agreement with statements about cognitive differences, health behaviors, and systemic racism. Analyses showed that the students agreed with false statements regarding biological, behavioral, and cognitive differences among races and agreement was significantly stronger among students at earlier stages of education but did not differ by student race/ethnicity. Adjusted analyses showed that third- and fourth-year undergraduate students exhibited less agreement with false statements about race than first- and second-year students ( β ^ = - 10 . 86 , 95% CI [−18.33, −3.39], p < .00). The joint effect of higher class level and public health major ( β ^ = - 6 . 57 , 95% CI [−11.98, −1.16], p = .02) was also significantly associated with less agreement with false statements regarding systemic racism. This exploratory study suggests that even among diverse student populations, scientific racism persists but may improve over educational careers. Future research may determine how structural reforms and training can further improve student understandings of race as a social construct and not a biological reality.