Dataset Information

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health of Adults in the United States: A 20-Year National Health Interview Survey Analysis, 1999-2018.

ABSTRACT: Importance:Thirty-five years ago, the Heckler Report described health disparities among minority populations in the US. Since then, policies have been implemented to address these disparities. However, a recent evaluation of progress towards improving the health and health equity among US adults is lacking. Objectives:To evaluate racial/ethnic disparities in the physical and mental health of US adults over the last 2 decades. Design:Cross-sectional. Setting:National Health Interview Survey data, years 1999-2018. Participants:Adults aged 18-85 years. Exposure:Race/ethnicity subgroups (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Asian, Hispanic). Main outcome and measures:Proportion of adults reporting poor/fair health status, severe psychological distress, functional limitation, and insufficient sleep. We also estimated the gap between non-Hispanic White and the other subgroups for these four outcomes. Results:We included 596,355 adults (mean age 46 years, 51.8% women), of which 69.7%, 13.8%, 11.8% and 4.7% identified as non-Hispanic White, Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic Asian, respectively. Between 1999 and 2018, Black individuals fared worse on most measures of health, with 18.7% (95% CI 17.1-20.4) and 41.1% (95% CI 38.7-43.5) reporting poor/fair health and insufficient sleep in 2018 compared with 11.1% (95% CI 10.5- 11.7) and 31.2% (95% CI 30.3-32.1) among White individuals. Notably, between 1999-2018, there was no significant decrease in the gap in poor/fair health status between White individuals and Black (-0.07% per year, 95% CI -0.16-0.01) and Hispanic (-0.03% per year, 95% CI -0.07- 0.02) individuals, and an increase in the gap in sleep between White individuals and Black (+0.2% per year, 95% CI 0.1-0.4) and Hispanic (+0.3% per year, 95% CI 0.1-0.4) individuals. Additionally, there was no significant decrease in adults reporting poor/fair health status and an increase in adults reporting severe psychological distress, functional limitation, and insufficient sleep. Conclusions and Relevance:The marked racial/ethnic disparities in health of US adults have not improved over the last 20 years. Moreover, the self-perceived health of US adults worsened during this time. These findings highlight the need to re-examine the initiatives seeking to promote health equity and improve health.

SUBMITTER: Mahajan S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7654876 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health of Adults in the United States: A 20-Year National Health Interview Survey Analysis, 1999-2018.

Mahajan Shiwani S Caraballo César C Lu Yuan Y Massey Dorothy D Murugiah Karthik K Annapureddy Amarnath R AR Roy Brita B Riley Carley C Onuma Oyere O Nunez-Smith Marcella M Valero-Elizondo Javier J Forman Howard P HP Nasir Khurram K Herrin Jeph J Krumholz Harlan M HM

medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences 20201104

<h4>Importance</h4>Thirty-five years ago, the Heckler Report described health disparities among minority populations in the US. Since then, policies have been implemented to address these disparities. However, a recent evaluation of progress towards improving the health and health equity among US adults is lacking.<h4>Objectives</h4>To evaluate racial/ethnic disparities in the physical and mental health of US adults over the last 2 decades.<h4>Design</h4>Cross-sectional.<h4>Setting</h4>National ...[more]

PMID: 33173885

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Project description:ImportanceRacial and ethnic disparities plague the US health care system despite efforts to eliminate them. To understand what has been achieved amid these efforts, a comprehensive study from the population perspective is needed.ObjectivesTo determine trends in rates and racial/ethnic disparities of key access to care measures among adults in the US in the last two decades.DesignCross-sectional.SettingData from the National Health Interview Survey, 1999-2018.ParticipantsIndividuals >18 years old.ExposureRace and ethnicity: non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Asian, non-Hispanic White, Hispanic.Main outcome and measuresRates of lack of insurance coverage, lack of a usual source of care, and foregone/delayed medical care due to cost. We also estimated the gap between non-Hispanic White and the other subgroups for these outcomes.ResultsWe included 596,355 adults, of which 69.7% identified as White, 11.8% as Black, 4.7% as Asian, and 13.8% as Hispanic. The proportion uninsured and the rates of lacking a usual source of care remained stable across all 4 race/ethnicity subgroups up to 2009, while rates of foregone/delayed medical care due to cost increased. Between 2010 and 2015, the percentage of uninsured diminished for all, with the steepest reduction among Hispanics (-2.1% per year). In the same period, rates of no usual source of care declined only among Hispanics (-1.2% per year) while rates of foregone/delayed medical care due to cost decreased for all. No substantial changes were observed from 2016-2018 in any outcome across subgroups. Compared with 1999, in 2018 the rates of foregone/delayed medical care due to cost were higher for all (+3.1% among Whites, +3.1% among Blacks, +0.5% among Asians, and +2.2% among Hispanics) without significant change in gaps; rates of no usual source of care were not significantly different among Whites or Blacks but were lower among Hispanics (-4.9%) and Asians (-6.4%).Conclusions and relevanceInsurance coverage increased for all, but millions of individuals remained uninsured or underinsured with increasing rates of unmet medical needs due to cost. Those identifying as non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic continue to experience more barriers to health care services compared with non-Hispanic White individuals.Key pointsQuestion: In the last 2 decades, what has been achieved in reducing barriers to access to care and race/ethnicity-associated disparities?Findings: Using National Health Interview Survey data from 1999-2018, we found that insurance coverage increased across all 4 major race/ethnicity groups. However, rates of unmet medical needs due to cost increased without reducing the respective racial/ethnic disparities, and little-to-no change occurred in rates of individuals who have no usual source of care.Meaning: Despite increased coverage, millions of Americans continued to experience barriers to access to care, which were disproportionately more prevalent among those identifying as Black or Hispanic.

Project description:ImportanceRacial and ethnic disparities in delayed medical care for reasons that are not directly associated with the cost of care remain understudied.ObjectiveTo describe trends in racial and ethnic disparities in barriers to timely medical care among adults during a recent 20-year period.Design, setting, and participantsThis was a serial cross-sectional study of 590 603 noninstitutionalized adults in the US using data from the National Health Interview Survey from 1999 to 2018. Data analyses were performed from December 2021 through August 2022.ExposuresSelf-reported race, ethnicity, household income, and sex.Main outcomes and measuresTemporal trends in disparities regarding 5 specific barriers to timely medical care: inability to get through by telephone, no appointment available soon enough, long waiting times, inconvenient office or clinic hours, and lack of transportation.ResultsThe study cohort comprised 590 603 adult respondents (mean [SE] age, 46.00 [0.07] years; 329 638 [51.9%] female; 27 447 [4.7%] Asian, 83 929 [11.8%] Black, 98 692 [13.8%] Hispanic/Latino, and 380 535 [69.7%] White). In 1999, the proportion of each race and ethnicity group reporting any of the 5 barriers to timely medical care was 7.3% among the Asian group; 6.9%, Black; 7.9%, Hispanic/Latino; and 7.0%, White (P > .05 for each difference compared with White individuals). From 1999 to 2018, this proportion increased across all 4 race and ethnicity groups (by 5.7, 8.0, 8.1, and 5.9 percentage points [pp] among Asian, Black, Hispanic/Latino, and White individuals, respectively; P < .001 for each), slightly increasing the disparities between groups. In 2018, compared with White individuals, the proportion reporting any barrier was 2.1 and 3.1 pp higher among Black and Hispanic/Latino individuals (P = .03 and P = .001, respectively). There was no significant difference in prevalence between Asian and White individuals. There was a significant increase in the difference in prevalence between Black individuals and White individuals who reported delaying care because of long waiting times at the clinic or medical office and because of a lack of transportation (1.5 pp and 1.8 pp; P = .03 and P = .01, respectively). In addition, the difference in prevalence between Hispanic/Latino and White individuals who reported delaying care because of long waiting times increased significantly (2.6 pp; P < .001).Conclusions and relevanceThe findings of this serial cross-sectional study of data from the National Health Interview Survey suggest that barriers to timely medical care in the US increased for all population groups from 1999 to 2018, with associated increases in disparities among race and ethnicity groups. Interventions beyond those currently implemented are needed to improve access to medical care and to eliminate disparities among race and ethnicity groups.

Project description:BackgroundAccurate forecasting of cardiovascular disease mortality is crucial to guide policy and programming efforts. Prior forecasts often have not incorporated past trends in rates of reduction in cardiovascular disease mortality. This creates uncertainties about future trends in cardiovascular disease mortality and disparities.Methods and resultsTo forecast US cardiovascular disease mortality and disparities to 2030, we developed a hierarchical bayesian model to determine and incorporate prior age, period, and cohort effects from 1979 to 2012, stratified by age, sex, and race, which we combined with expected demographic shifts to 2030. Data sources included the National Vital Statistics System, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) single-year population estimates, and US Bureau of Statistics 2012 national population projections. We projected coronary disease and stroke deaths to 2030, first on the basis of constant age, period, and cohort effects at 2012 values, as is most commonly done (conventional), and then with the use of more rigorous projections incorporating expected trends in age, period, and cohort effects (trend based). We primarily evaluated absolute mortality. The conventional model projected total coronary and stroke deaths by 2030 to increase by ≈18% (67 000 additional coronary deaths per year) and 50% (64 000 additional stroke deaths per year). Conversely, the trend-based model projected that coronary mortality would decrease by 2030 by ≈27% (79 000 fewer deaths per year) and stroke mortality would remain unchanged (200 fewer deaths per year). Health disparities will be improved in stroke deaths but not coronary deaths.ConclusionsAfter prior mortality trends and expected demographic shifts are accounted for, total US coronary deaths are expected to decline, whereas stroke mortality will remain relatively constant. Health disparities in stroke but not coronary deaths will be improved but not eliminated. These age, period, and cohort approaches offer more plausible predictions than conventional estimates.

Project description:BackgroundSuicides by any method, plus 'nonsuicide' fatalities from drug self-intoxication (estimated from selected forensically undetermined and 'accidental' deaths), together represent self-injury mortality (SIM)-fatalities due to mental disorders or distress. SIM is especially important to examine given frequent undercounting of suicides amongst drug overdose deaths. We report suicide and SIM trends in the United States of America (US) during 1999-2018, portray interstate rate trends, and examine spatiotemporal (spacetime) diffusion or spread of the drug self-intoxication component of SIM, with attention to potential for differential suicide misclassification.MethodsFor this state-based, cross-sectional, panel time series, we used de-identified manner and underlying cause-of-death data for the 50 states and District of Columbia (DC) from CDC's Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research. Procedures comprised joinpoint regression to describe national trends; Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient to assess interstate SIM and suicide rate congruence; and spacetime hierarchical modelling of the 'nonsuicide' SIM component.FindingsThe national annual average percentage change over the observation period in the SIM rate was 4.3% (95% CI: 3.3%, 5.4%; p<0.001) versus 1.8% (95% CI: 1.6%, 2.0%; p<0.001) for the suicide rate. By 2017/2018, all states except Nebraska (19.9) posted a SIM rate of at least 21.0 deaths per 100,000 population-the floor of the rate range for the top 5 ranking states in 1999/2000. The rank-order correlation coefficient for SIM and suicide rates was 0.82 (p<0.001) in 1999/2000 versus 0.34 (p = 0.02) by 2017/2018. Seven states in the West posted a ≥ 5.0% reduction in their standardised mortality ratios of 'nonsuicide' drug fatalities, relative to the national ratio, and 6 states from the other 3 major regions a >6.0% increase (p<0.05).InterpretationDepiction of rising SIM trends across states and major regions unmasks a burgeoning national mental health crisis. Geographic variation is plausibly a partial product of local heterogeneity in toxic drug availability and the quality of medicolegal death investigations. Like COVID-19, the nation will only be able to prevent SIM by responding with collective, comprehensive, systemic approaches. Injury surveillance and prevention, mental health, and societal well-being are poorly served by the continuing segregation of substance use disorders from other mental disorders in clinical medicine and public health practice.FundingThis study was partially funded by the National Centre for Injury Prevention and Control, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (R49CE002093) and the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (1UM1DA049412-01; 1R21DA046521-01A1).

Dataset Information

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health of Adults in the United States: A 20-Year National Health Interview Survey Analysis, 1999-2018.

Publications

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health of Adults in the United States: A 20-Year National Health Interview Survey Analysis, 1999-2018.

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