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Race and Ethnicity Definitions
The race and ethnicity
categories used in this publication are based on definitions established
in 1977 by Directive 15 of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB),
which is the federal agency that defines standards for government
publications.4 The categories are not based on biological or
anthropological concepts. "Hispanic" is considered a designation of
ethnicity, not race, and people of Hispanic origin can be of any race. OMB
developed these categories in response to the need for standardized data
for record keeping and data collection and presentation by federal
agencies (e.g., to conduct federal surveys, collect decennial census data,
and monitor civil rights laws).
In 1997, OMB issued new
race and ethnicity categories following criticism that the categories did
not reflect the country's increasing diversity. All federal agencies
were instructed to begin collecting and analyzing data using the new
categories no later than January 1, 2003. However, the census and vital
statistics data used in this publication were collected before the 1997
directive was implemented. Consequently, the racial and ethnic categories
analyzed here are consistent with the 1977 directive.
The 1977 race and
ethnicity categories are as follows:
| American Indian or Alaska Native.
A person having origins in any of
the original peoples of North America and who maintains tribal
affiliation or community attachment.
Asian or Pacific
Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples
of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, or the
Pacific Islands (e.g., China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippine
Islands, Samoa).
Black. A person having origins in any of the
black racial groups of Africa.
Hispanic. A person of Cuban,
Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish
culture or origin, regardless of race.
White. A person having
origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or
the Middle East.
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Reference
4. Wallman KK, Hodgdon J. Race and ethnic standards for federal statistics
and administrative reporting. Statistical Reporter, July 1977 (no.
77–10):450–54.M
Date last reviewed:
05/12/2006
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke
Prevention,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion |
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