Racial and ethnic difference in the risk of fractures in the United States: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the association between race and ethnicity and fracture risk in the United States. We identified relevant studies by searching PubMed and EMBASE for studies published from the databases’ inception date to December 23, 2022. Only observational studies conducted in the US population that reported the effect size of racial-ethnic minority groups versus white people were included. Two investigators independently conducted literature searches, study selection, risk of bias assessment, and data abstraction; discrepancies were resolved by consensus or consultation of a third investigator. Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria, and the random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled effect size due to heterogeneity between the studies. Using white people as the reference group, we found that people of other races and ethnic groups had a significantly lower fracture risk. In Black people, the pooled relative risk (RR) was 0.46 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.43–0.48, p < 0.0001). In Hispanics, the pooled RR was 0.66 (95% CI, 0.55–0.79, p < 0.0001). In Asian Americans, the pooled RR was 0.55 (95% CI, 0.45–0.66, p < 0.0001). In American Indians, the pooled RR was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.41–1.58, p = 0.3436). Subgroup analysis by sex in Black people revealed the strength of association was greater in men (RR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.51–0.63, p < 0.0001) than in women (RR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.39–0.47, p < 0.0001). Our findings suggest that people of other races and ethnic groups have a lower fracture risk than white people.