Response to Griffith: Antiracism in Basic Research on Racial Disparities

Abstract

In a recent issue, Derek Griffith, PhD, excellently outlines approaches to maximize antiracism and health equity science. 1 He expertly notes that when research compares racial groups, 2 a comparative approach is useful to identify a problem, need, or method for evaluating the differential benefits of an intervention but is not useful for explaining "why," "how," or "under what conditions" differences between groups exist. Comparative approaches . . . may erroneously conclude that patterns of variation (ie, what distinguishes 2 groups) are patterns of causation (ie, why 2 groups are different). 1