A Transdisciplinary Approach to Understand the Epigenetic Basis of Race/Ethnicity Health Disparities

Abstract

Health disparities correspond to differences in disease burden and mortality among socially defined population groups. Such disparities may emerge according to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status and a variety of other social contexts, and are documented for a wide range of diseases. Here, we provide a transdisciplinary perspective on the contribution of epigenetics to the understanding of health disparities, with a special emphasis on disparities across socially defined racial/ethnic groups. Scientists in the fields of biological anthropology, bioinformatics and molecular epidemiology provide a summary of theoretical, statistical and practical considerations for conducting epigenetic health disparities research, and provide examples of successful applications from cancer research using this approach.

Keywords::

• anthropology
• cancer health disparities
• computational biology
• DNA methylation
• epigenomics
• ethnic groups
• health status disparities
• molecular epidemiology

Financial & competing interest disclosure

L Salas is supported by grants of the CDMRP/Department of Defense (W81XWH-20-1-0778) and the National Institute of Health-NIGMS (P20GM1044168299). L Peres is supported by NIH-NCI R00CA218681. Z Thayer is supported by the Wenner-Gren Fellowship #9687. R Smith is supported through a postdoctoral Neukom Fellows Program. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

L Salas is supported by grants of the CDMRP/Department of Defense (W81XWH-20-1-0778) and the National Institute of Health-NIGMS (P20GM1044168299). L Peres is supported by NIH-NCI R00CA218681. Z Thayer is supported by the Wenner-Gren Fellowship #9687. R Smith is supported through a postdoctoral Neukom Fellows Program. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.