TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetic ancestry, skin color and social attainment
T2 - The four cities study
AU - Teteh, Dede K.
AU - Dawkins-Moultin, Lenna
AU - Hooker, Stanley
AU - Hernandez, Wenndy
AU - Bonilla, Carolina
AU - Galloway, Dorothy
AU - LaGroon, Victor
AU - Santos, Eunice Rebecca
AU - Shriver, Mark
AU - Royal, Charmaine D.M.
AU - Kittles, Rick A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Teteh et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
PY - 2020/8
Y1 - 2020/8
N2 - Introduction The Black population in the US is heterogeneous but is often treated as monolithic in research, with skin pigmentation being the primary indicator of racial classification. Objective: This paper examines the differences among Blacks by comparing genetic ancestry, skin color and social attainment of 259 residents across four US cities—Norman, Oklahoma; Cincinnati, Ohio; Harlem, New York; and Washington, District of Columbia. Methods Participants were recruited between 2004 and 2006 at community-based forums. Cross-sectional data were analyzed using chi-square tests, correlation analyses and logistic regression. Results There were variations in ancestry, melanin index and social attainment across some cities. Overall, men with darker skin color, and women with lighter skin color were significantly more likely to be married. Darker skin individuals with significantly more West African ancestry reported attainment of graduate degrees, and professional occupations than lighter skin individuals. Conclusions Our findings suggest differences in skin pigmentation by geography and support regional variations in ancestry of US Blacks. Biomedical research should consider genetic ancestry and local historical/social context rather than relying solely on skin pigmentation as a proxy for race.
AB - Introduction The Black population in the US is heterogeneous but is often treated as monolithic in research, with skin pigmentation being the primary indicator of racial classification. Objective: This paper examines the differences among Blacks by comparing genetic ancestry, skin color and social attainment of 259 residents across four US cities—Norman, Oklahoma; Cincinnati, Ohio; Harlem, New York; and Washington, District of Columbia. Methods Participants were recruited between 2004 and 2006 at community-based forums. Cross-sectional data were analyzed using chi-square tests, correlation analyses and logistic regression. Results There were variations in ancestry, melanin index and social attainment across some cities. Overall, men with darker skin color, and women with lighter skin color were significantly more likely to be married. Darker skin individuals with significantly more West African ancestry reported attainment of graduate degrees, and professional occupations than lighter skin individuals. Conclusions Our findings suggest differences in skin pigmentation by geography and support regional variations in ancestry of US Blacks. Biomedical research should consider genetic ancestry and local historical/social context rather than relying solely on skin pigmentation as a proxy for race.
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U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0237041
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0237041
M3 - Article
C2 - 32813691
AN - SCOPUS:85089714591
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 15
JO - PloS one
JF - PloS one
IS - 8 August
M1 - e0237041
ER -