Minority Health and Health Equity Archive

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/21769

Welcome to the Minority Health and Health Equity Archive (MHHEA), an electronic archive for digital resource materials in the fields of minority health and health disparities research and policy. It is offered as a no-charge resource to the public, academic scholars and health science researchers interested in the elimination of racial and ethnic health disparities.

Browse

Subject: search.filters.subject.racial/ethnic disparities

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 25
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Racial/Ethnic disparities in the mental health care utilization of fifth grade children.
    (2009) Coker, Tumaini R; Elliott, Marc N; Kataoka, Sheryl; Schwebel, David C; Mrug, Sylvie; Grunbaum, Jo Anne; Cuccaro, Paula; Peskin, Melissa F; Schuster, Mark A
    Disparities exist in mental health care utilization for black and Hispanic children; the disparity for black children is independent of sociodemographics and child mental health need. Efforts to reduce this disparity may benefit from addressing not only access and diagnosis issues, but also parents' help-seeking preferences for mental health care for their children.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Possible factors illuminating increased disparities in neonatal mortality in Wisconsin from 1991-2005.
    (2007) Tuan, Wen-Jan; Hatfield, Peggy; Bhattacharya, Abhik; Sarto, Gloria E; Kling, Pamela J
    Wisconsin infant mortality rates are largely driven by neonatal deaths. This shows an urgent need to develop effective public health interventions to prevent early neonatal deaths. To reduce racial/ethnic disparities in NMRs, the design of the interventions should also take into account the variation of the effects of birth weight and gestation age on neonatal mortality among racial/ethnic groups. It is hoped the result of this study will provide a critical understanding: when it comes to racial/ethnic disparities, there is far more to low birth weight or short gestational age than simply not having enough weight or days.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Health Care Disparities in Emergency Medicine
    (2003) Cone, D. C.
    Abstract available at publisher's web site.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    The Transition to Adult Health Care for Youth With Special Health Care Needs: Do Racial and Ethnic Disparities Exist?
    (2010) Lotstein, D. S.; Kuo, A. A.; Strickland, B.; Tait, F.
    Abstract available at publisher's web site.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Race, Ethnicity, and Shared Decision Making for Hyperlipidemia and Hypertension Treatment: The DECISIONS Survey
    (2010) Ratanawongsa, N.; Zikmund-Fisher, B. J.; Couper, M. P.; Van Hoewyk, J.; Powe, N. R.
    Abstract available at publisher's web site.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Measures of racial/ethnic health disparities in cancer mortality rates and the influence of socioeconomic status.
    (2007) Chu, Kenneth C; Miller, Barry A; Springfield, Sanya A
    OBJECTIVES: In the 1990s, U.S. cancer mortality rates declined due to reductions in tobacco use among men and beneficial cancer interventions, such as mammography and Pap smears. We examined the cancer rates by racial/ethnic group, socioeconomic status and time period to identify disparities underlying the overall mortality trend. METHODS: We examined racial/ethnic disparities by measuring excess cancer burden [rate ratio (RR) and ratio differences (RD)] and trends in their cancer rates for nine cancer sites. The trend (T) is calculated as a ratio of the average annual cancer mortality rate for 1995-2000 relative to the rate for 1990-1994 for three levels of poverty (counties with <10% living below the poverty level, 10% - <20% and > or =20%) for the major racial/ethnic populations. We also compared the trend for each racial/ethnic SES group to the trend for lowest SES white group (TD). RESULTS: Blacks have RR disparities relative to whites for each cancer site examined, except for female lung cancer, while the other minorities had RR disparities for cervical cancer (RR>1). There are increases in RR disparities from 1990-1994 to 1995-2000 (RD>0) for colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer for each racial/ethnic minority. Whites and blacks had declining trends for every SES group (T<1) and positive high SES gradients (the highest SES group had the best trend and the lowest SES group had the worst trend) at each cancer site, except female lung cancer (T>1). In contrast, American Indians/Alaska natives, Hispanics and Asians/ Pacific Islanders had increasing trends for some of their cancer sites, and their trends did not have the SES gradients. CONCLUSIONS: Increases in racial/ethnic disparities (RD>0) for colorectal, breast and prostate cancer were largest in the lowest SES groups. At some cancer sites, the highest SES group for minorities had worse trend results than the trends for the lowest SES white group (TD>0).
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    A Nationwide Analysis of US Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Smoking Behaviors, Smoking Cessation, and Cessation-Related Factors
    (2011) Trinidad, D. R.; Perez-Stable, E. J.; White, M. M.; Emery, S. L.; Messer, K.
    Objectives. We used nationally representative data to examine racial/ethnic disparities in smoking behaviors, smoking cessation, and factors associated with cessation among US adults. Methods. We analyzed data on adults aged 20 to 64 years from the 2003 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey, and we examined associations by fitting adjusted logistic regression models to the data. Results. Compared with non-Hispanic Whites, smaller proportions of African Americans, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics/Latinos had ever smoked. Significantly fewer African Americans reported long-term quitting. Racial/ethnic minorities were more likely to be light and intermittent smokers and less likely to smoke within 30 minutes of waking. Adjusted models revealed that racial/ethnic minorities were not less likely to receive advice from health professionals to quit smoking, but they were less likely to use nicotine replacement therapy. Conclusions. Specific needs and ideal program focuses for cessation may vary across racial/ethnic groups, such that approaches tailored by race/ethnicity might be optimal. Traditional conceptualizations of cigarette addiction and the quitting process may need to be revised for racial/ethnic minority smokers.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Defining cultural competence: a practical framework for addressing racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care.
    (2003) Betancourt, Joseph R; Green, Alexander R; Carrillo, J Emilio; Ananeh-Firempong, Owusu
    OBJECTIVES: Racial/ethnic disparities in health in the U.S. have been well described. The field of "cultural competence" has emerged as one strategy to address these disparities. Based on a review of the relevant literature, the authors develop a definition of cultural competence, identify key components for intervention, and describe a practical framework for implementation of measures to address racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care. METHODS: The authors conducted a literature review of academic, foundation, and government publications focusing on sociocultural barriers to care, the level of the health care system at which a given barrier occurs, and cultural competence efforts that address these barriers. RESULTS: Sociocultural barriers to care were identified at the organizational (leadership/workforce), structural (processes of care), and clinical (provider-patient encounter) levels. A framework of cultural competence interventions--including minority recruitment into the health professions, development of interpreter services and language-appropriate health educational materials, and provider education on cross-cultural issues--emerged to categorize strategies to address racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care. CONCLUSIONS: Demographic changes anticipated over the next decade magnify the importance of addressing racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care. A framework of organizational, structural, and clinical cultural competence interventions can facilitate the elimination of these disparities and improve care for all Americans.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Measuring socioeconomic status/position in studies of racial/ethnic disparities: maternal and infant health.
    (2001) Braveman, P; Cubbin, C; Marchi, K; Egerter, S; Chavez, G
    OBJECTIVE: Theoretical and empiric considerations raise concerns about how socioeconomic status/position (abbreviated here as SES) is often measured in health research. The authors aimed to guide the use of two common socioeconomic indicators, education and income, in studies of racial/ethnic disparities in low birthweight, delayed prenatal care, unintended pregnancy, and breastfeeding intention. METHODS: Data from a statewide postpartum survey in California (N = 10,055) were linked to birth certificates. Overall and by race/ethnicity, the authors examined: (a) correlations among several measures of education and income; (b) associations between each SES measure and health indicator; and (c) racial/ethnic disparities in the health indicators "adjusting" for different SES measures. RESULTS: Education-income correlations were moderate and varied by race/ethnicity. Racial/ethnic associations with the health indicators varied by SES measure, how SES was specified, and by health indicator. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusions about the role of race/ethnicity could vary with how SES is measured. Education is not an acceptable proxy for income in studies of ethnically diverse populations of childbearing women. SES measures generally should be outcome- and population-specific, and chosen on explicit conceptual grounds; researchers should test multiple theoretically appropriate measures and consider how conclusions might vary with how SES is measured. Researchers should recognize the difficulty of measuring SES and interpret findings accordingly.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Racism and Child Health: A Review of the Literature and Future Directions
    (2009) Pachter, Lee M.; Coll, Cynthia García
    OBJECTIVE: Racism is a mechanism through which racial/ethnic disparities occur in child health. To assess the present state of research into the effects of racism on child health, a review of the literature was undertaken. METHODS: A MEDLINE review of the literature was conducted between October and November 2007. Studies reporting on empirical research relating to racism or racial discrimination as a predictor or contributor to a child health outcome were included in this review. The definition of "child health" was broad and included behavioral, mental, and physical health. RESULTS: Forty articles describing empirical research on racism and child health were found. Most studies (65%) reported on research performed on behavioral and mental health outcomes. Other areas studied included birth outcomes, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and satisfaction with care. Most research has been conducted on African-American samples (70%), on adolescents and on older children, and without a uniformly standardized approach to measuring racism. Furthermore, many studies used measures that were created for adult populations. CONCLUSIONS: There are a limited number of studies evaluating the relationship between racism and child health. Most studies, to date, show relationships between perceived racism and behavioral and mental health. Future studies need to include more ethnically diverse minority groups and needs to consider studying the effects of racism in younger children. Instruments need to be developed that measure perceptions of racism in children and youth that take into account the unique contexts and developmental levels of children, as well as differences in the perception of racism in different ethnocultural groups. Furthermore, studies incorporating racism as a specific psychosocial stressor that can potentially have biophysiologic sequelae need to be conducted to understand the processes and mechanisms through which racism may contribute to child health disparities.