Moving Beyond Single Racial Identification: Considering Multiracial and Multiethnic Identification in Public Health

Abstract

As multiracial and multiethnic youth populations are anticipated to be 11.3% of the U.S. population by 2060, it is essential that public health research and practice find ways to effectively capture and reach these diverse groups. Single racial identification has been a norm in public health practice; however, this method has limitations for capturing the health of multiracial and multiethnic individuals. Drawing on personal experience of the author and multidisciplinary scholarship, this research commentary examines the limitations of single race identification and how this influences the processes of racialization. The author provides important implications for public health research by suggesting more complex and effective ways to capture personal racial identification and racial perceptions and addresses how to reach multiracial and multiethnic groups through public health interventions where individuals might identify with multiple cultural identities.