The Intersectionality Between Bi and Multiracial College Students’ Self-identification and Their Behaviors—A Pilot Study

Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-025-02291-2 The Intersectionality Between Bi and Multiracial College Students’ Self‑identification and Their Behaviors—A Pilot Study Robert E. Braun1 · Jade Morant1 · Margaret Boatright2 Received: 16 February 2024 / Revised: 14 January 2025 / Accepted: 19 January 2025 © The Author(s) 2025 Abstract Due to limited information and published research, health disparities among bi and multiracial (B/MR) groups are not as understood as other racial groups. Without this knowledge and ability to allocate resources as needed, this is another racial group that could suffer from poorer health outcomes. As a result, participants (n = 15) were placed in focus groups or individual interviews with ten qualitative questions. Each participant then completed an anonymous quantitative survey assessing their health-related behaviors. Quantitative results included 40% (n = 6) of participants who tried cigarettes, 53% (n = 8) who tried electronic vapor products, and only 20% (n = 3) of participants who got the recommended hours of sleep nightly. Qualitative results include themes of situational identity, White assimilation, and pressure to explain their identity. Many participants dealt with the insensitivity that one side of their family exhibited towards the other side of their identity through inappropriate jokes and comments. Lastly, there were expectations from both family and friends to act a certain way. Researchers identified three major categories that the participant’s influences fell into. Genetics, Culture/Heritage, and the Environment are the aforementioned categories that can work together or stand alone to influence behaviors that can ultimately affect health outcomes. While these results are based on a small sample size (n = 15) of undergraduate B/MR students, it does suggest that researchers should complete a more extensive survey on this racial group to verify these findings. Keywords Bi/Multiracial college students · Health disparities · Racial identification · Health-related behaviors Introduction The Center for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) collects, assesses, and publishes data along with the resulting health outcomes for numerous racial groups, including but not limited to Asian Americans, Black Americans, Caucasians, and Hispanic/Latino Americans (see NCHS → Topics → Life Stages and Populations → Race/ Ethnicity) [1]. While this is an excellent resource, one racial group is noticeably absent from this list—multi- or biracial individuals. This is especially troublesome since this population will double in size by 2050 [2]. The implications for this racial group doubling in size while not understanding their health needs are quite significant. Without this knowledge * Robert E. Braun 1 Department of Health and Sport Sciences, Otterbein University, 1 S. Grove St., Westerville, OH 43081, USA 2 Department of Educational Psychology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA and ability to allocate resources as needed, this racial group could suffer poorer health outcomes. The relationship between race/ethnicity and health outcomes is a topic of ongoing and pertinent discussion within the public health field. Numerous researchers have evaluated health behaviors and links between health outcomes/ status and racial identification. The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) clearly illustrated that health disparities exist and impact specific communities. For example, Black Americans and Hispanic Americans have higher mortality rates, and are less likely to have access and coverage and receive quality health care [3]. For example, although the Black-White cancer disparity has decreased, Black Americans share a disproportionate burden in deaths for both males and females [4]. According to the CDC, African Americans are not the racial group most likely to use tobacco [5]. However, this group disproportionately suffers more from chronic health outcomes related to this issue, such as heart disease, cancer, and respiratory issues. Alcohol use is another behavior that many individuals perform, regardless of their racial and ethnic groups. According to the NSDUH (National Survey Vol.:(0123456789) Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities on Drug Use and Health), lifetime alcohol use among all racial groups in 2018 was 83.7% of AI/AN, 70.6% of Asians, 80.2% of Blacks, 78.3% of NHOPI, 91.6% of two or more races, and 92.0% of Whites [6]. However, African Americans are more likely than most groups to experience poorer health outcomes concerning alcohol consumption. Background It is important to note how the history of racism in the USA has affected racial identification, especially for those mixed with Black and White races. Before 1950, the way a bi or multiracial (B/MR) individual identified was not their choice; it was an external decision. The “one-drop” rule, which indicated that a person with any amount of Black blood must identify as Black, was used to reinforce social hierarchy and class systems [7]. However, this rule was so deeply ingrained into the Black community that even when people of mixed race were given the option to identify as B/ MR many did not. It has only been 53 years since the landmark Supreme Court decision of Loving vs. Virginia, which declared interracial marriages as being constitutional in the USA [8]. It was difficult for the USA to acknowledge interracial marriages, let alone their byproducts, being Biracial/Multiracial children. The Multiracial Movement of the 1990s called for a fundamental change to how the federal statistical system classified people by race, calling for the option to choose more than one race in the national census [9]. Due to pressure from the movement, Census 2000 and subsequent federal statistical documents allow for individuals to identify with as many of the listed racial categories as they wish. Because of the knowledge gained from the now available census data, we are able to monitor and predict the rapid growth of this racial group. Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) acknowledges that the population of those who self-identify as B/MR will double in size by 2050 [3]. Additionally, data collected by national surveys did not account for multiracial individuals when these surveys first started gathering information. This means that those who were self-identifying as biracial or multiracial had to choose an identity for categorization that did not match their intrinsic beliefs. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) began in 1984 and added an “other” category in 1985. Only in the 2001 survey did individuals have the choice to choose “one or more of the following…” [10]. Its counterpart, the Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System (YRBSS), started in 1991 with an “other” category but only started with their 1999 survey allowing individuals to “select one or more responses” for their race ques (...truncated)