How “Race” Is Used in U.S. Peer-Reviewed Studies of Cardiovascular Health and Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Scoping Review

Abstract

In this scoping review, we examine whether and how race is used to explain differences in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and/or cardiovascular health (CVH) among racial/ethnic populations living in the United States in peer-reviewed research. Searching eight databases from their inception, and informed by the Population, Concept, and Context framework, our search yielded 232 studies (N = 232) published in English. Seventy-eight percent of included studies (n = 181) did not define race; 45% (n = 105) positioned White participants as the standard for CVH and CRF metrics, and only 7% (n = 17) of the studies used sociocultural explanations to discuss possible mechanisms of racial differences in CRF and CVH outcomes. Findings are interpreted as an indication of how “white logic” informs research pertaining to CRF and CVH. A series of recommendations are provided to help kinesiological scholars avoid reductionist characterizations of “race” through their research, thus better aligning with the National Academy of Kinesiology’s social justice mission.