health status than the White population. These differences should not be ignored for at least two reasons. First, some evidence suggests that because of the economic links tying various communities together, health problems that initially are more prevalent in minority communities eventually spread to other areas and populations (Wallace and Wallace, 1997). If unaddressed, the health problems of minority populations will eventually become the health problems of the larger society. Second, given current patterns of population growth, the health problems of minority populations may soon become the statistical norm. The Bureau of the Census’ 1997 estimate of the population indicates that minority populations comprised 27 percent of the U.S. population and an even higher proportion in the most populous states—49 percent of California, 44 percent of Texas, 34 percent of New York, and 31 percent of Florida. Given current demographic trends, minority racial groups will increasingly become a larger share of the U.S. population. Thus, taking action to improve the health and social conditions of marginalized population groups is investing in our mutual future and likely to have positive health consequences for the entire society.

Preparation of this paper was supported in part by grant 1 RO1 MH57425 from the National Institute of Mental Health and by the John D. and Catherine T.MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Socioeconomic Status and Health. I wish to thank Car Nosel, Clara Kawanishi, Colwick Wilson, and Scott Wyatt for assistance with the preparation of the manuscript.

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Front Matter (R1-R30)

1. Racial Trends in the Administration of Criminal Justice (1-20)

2. Race and Criminal Justice (21-31)

3. Commentary on Randall Kennedy's Overview of the Justice System (32-51)

4. Race and Ethnicity in the Labor Market: Trends Over the Short and Long Term (52-97)

5. Racial Differences in Labor Market Outcomes Among Men (98-123)

6. Racial Trends in Labor Market Access and Wages: Women (124-151)

7. Ethnic and Racial Differences in Welfare Receipt in the United States (152-173)

8. Labor Force Trends: The Military as Data (174-189)

9. Trends in Minority-Owned Businesses (190-221)

10. Wealth and Racial Stratification (222-251)

11. Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health: Recent Trends, Current Patterns, Future Directions (252-310)

12. Racial and Ethnic Trends in Children's and Adolescents' Behavior and Development (311-350)

13. The heal th of Minority Children in the Year 2000: The Role of Government Programs in Improving the Health Status of America's Children (351-370)

14. Racial Variations in Adult Health Status: Patterns, Paradoxes, and Prospects (371-410)

15. Health-Care use in the Veterans Health Administration: Racial Trends and the Spirit of Inquiry (411-430)

Appendix A: Acronyms (431-433)

Appendix B: Agenda: Research Conference on Racial Trends in the United States (434-438)

Appendix C: Biographical Sketches (439-446)

Index (447-492)