Conclusion-II

• In the last 50 years, the income gap between blacks and whites narrowed between the mid 1960s and the mid 1970s. There was a corresponding narrowing of the racial gap in life expectancy and mortality, for men and women, between 1968 and 1978. The economic status of blacks relative to whites deteriorated or stagnated during the 1980s, and the health of blacks worsened in the 1980s, both absolutely and relative to whites.

• Racial differences in health reflect the successful implementation of social policies. Eliminating these disparities requires political will and commitment to implement new interventions to improve living and working conditions.