Genetic Ancestry, Skin Color and Social Attainment: The Four Cities Study

Authors

Dede K. Teteh, Chapman UniversityFollow
Lenna Dawkins-Moultin, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Stanley Hooker, City of Hope Medical Center
Wenndy Hernandez, University of Chicago
Carolina Bonilla, Universidade de São Paulo
Dorothy Galloway, City of Hope Medical Center
Victor LaGroon, City of Hope Medical Center
Eunice Rebecca Santos, Utah Department of Health
Mark Shriver, The Pennsylvania State University
Charmaine D. M. Royal, Duke University
Rick Kittles, City of Hope Medical Center

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-19-2020

Abstract

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.

Comments

This article was originally published in PLoS ONE, volume 15, issue 8, in 2020. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237041

Recommended Citation

Teteh DK, Dawkins-Moultin L, Hooker S, Hernandez W, Bonilla C, Galloway D, et al. (2020) Genetic ancestry, skin color and social attainment: The four cities study. PLoS ONE 15(8): e0237041. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237041

Peer Reviewed

1

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.