Black-white Disparities Research Articles

The Association Between Black vs. White Race and 30-Day Hospitalization Among People Diagnosed with COVID-19 Within an Integrated Care Setting: a Cohort Study.

Black Americans are more likely to experience hospitalization from COVID-19 compared with White Americans. Whether this excess risk differs by age, sex, obesity, or diabetes, key risk factors for COVID hospitalization, among an integrated population with uniform healthcare access, are less clear. We identified all adult members (≥ 18years) of Kaiser Permanente Georgia (KPGA) diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 1, 2020, and September 30, 2021 (N = 24,564). We restricted the analysis to members of Black or White race identified from electronic medical records. Our primary outcome was first hospitalization within 30days of COVID-19 diagnosis. To assess the association between race and 30-day hospitalization, we performed multivariable logistic regression adjusting for several member and neighborhood-level characteristics, and tested for interactions of race with age, sex, diabetes, and obesity. A regression-based decomposition method was then used to estimate how much of the observed race disparity in 30-day hospitalization could be explained by member and neighborhood-level factors. Overall, 11.27% of Black KPGA members were hospitalized within 30days of a COVID diagnosis, as compared with 9.44% of White KPGA members. Black (vs. White) KPGA members had a 34% (aOR: 1.32 [95% CI: 1.19-1.47]) higher odds of 30-day hospitalization following COVID-19 after accounting for clinical differences. The odds of 30-day hospitalization in Black vs. White KPGA members did not differ significantly by sex (men: 1.46 [1.25-1.70]; women: 1.24 [1.07-1.43]), by age (18-29years: 1.33 [0. 841-2.10]; 30-49years: 1.26 [1.02-1.56]; ≥ 50years: 1.24 [1.10-1.41]); by diabetes status (with diabetes: 1.38 [1.16-1.66]; without diabetes: 1.26 [1.11-1.44]), or by obesity (with obesity: 1.31 [1.15-1.50]; without obesity: 1.28 [1.06-1.53]). Factors that, if Black and White KPGA members had the same level of exposure, would be most likely to reduce the Black-White disparity in 30-day hospitalization from COVID-19 were obesity, history of flu vaccine, and neighborhood-level income and social vulnerability. Early in the pandemic, Black (vs. White) members of an integrated health system had higher odds of being hospitalized within 30days of COVID-19 diagnosis and this excess risk was similar by sex, age, and comorbidities. Factors that explained the largest proportions of race-based disparities were obesity, receipt of flu vaccine, and neighborhood-level social determinants of health. These findings suggest that social determinants of health, or other unmeasured factors, may be drivers of racial disparities in COVID-19 outcomes.

The segregation of physician networks providing care to black and white patients with heart disease: Concepts, measures, and empirical evaluation

Black-White disparities in cardiac care may be related to physician referral network segregation. We developed and tested new geographic physician network segregation measures. We used Medicare claims to identify Black and White Medicare heart disease patients and map physician networks for 169 hospital referral regions (HRRs) with over 1000 Black patients. We constructed two network segregation indexes ranging from 0 (integration) to 100 (total segregation): Dissimilarity (the unevenness of Black and White patient distribution across physicians [Dn]) and Absolute Clustering (the propensity of Black patients’ physicians to have closer ties with each other than with other physicians [ACLn]). We employed conditional logit models to estimate the probability of using the best (lowest mortality) geographically available hospital for Black and White patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery in 126 markets with sufficient sample size at increasing levels of network segregation and for low vs. high HRR Black patient population. Physician network segregation was lower than residential segregation (Dissimilarity 21.9 vs. 48.7, and Absolute Clustering 4.8 vs. 32.4) and positively correlated with residential segregation (p < .001). Network segregation effects differed by race and HRR Black patient population. For White patients, higher network segregation was associated with a higher probability of using the best available hospitals in HRRs with few black patients but unchanged (ACLn) or lower (Dn) probability of best hospital use in HRRs with many Black patients. For Black patients, higher network segregation was not associated with a substantial change in the probability of best hospital use regardless of the HRR Black patient population size. Measuring physician network segregation is feasible and associated with nuanced effects on Black-White differences in high-quality hospital use for heart disease. Further work is needed to understand underlying mechanisms and potential uses in health equity policy.

Black-White differences in uterine cancer symptomatology and stage at diagnosis

ObjectiveTo examine whether uterine cancer symptoms differ between Black and White patients and how this may influence their stage at diagnosis. MethodsUsing the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare database, we identified 2328 Black and 21,774 White patients with uterine cancer in 2008–2017. Their symptoms in the 18 months before diagnosis were categorized as postmenopausal bleeding (PMB) alone, PMB together with other symptoms (e.g., abdominal/pelvic pain, bloating), non-PMB symptoms alone, or no symptoms. Stage at diagnosis was dichotomized as advanced (i.e., regional/distant) versus localized. The association between race and stage was analyzed using regression models incrementally adjusting for symptoms and other patient characteristics. ResultsA larger proportion of Black than White patients experienced PMB together with other symptoms (63.1% versus 58.0%) or experienced non-PMB symptoms alone (13.1% versus 9.4%) (p < 0.001). Black patients had a higher risk of advanced-stage diagnosis than White patients (45.0% versus 30.3%, unadjusted RR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.44–1.59). Adjusting for Black-White differences in symptoms attenuated the RR to 1.46 (95% CI: 1.39–1.53). Compared to PMB symptoms alone, having additional non-PMB symptoms (RR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.15–1.26) and having non-PMB symptoms alone (RR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.88–2.10) were associated with increased risk of advanced-stage diagnosis. Further adjusting for histology and other patient characteristics reduced Black-White disparity in advanced-stage diagnosis to 1.08 (95% CI: 1.03–1.14) but symptoms remained significantly associated with stage at diagnosis. ConclusionsHaving non-PMB symptoms was associated with more advanced stage at diagnosis. Non-PMB symptoms were more common among Black than White patients, which might hinder symptom recognition/evaluation.

Advancing Health Equity: The Role of a Community-Academic-Public Health-Practice (CAPP) Partnership in Addressing COVID-19 Disparities in Louisiana.

We assessed the impact of an innovative Louisiana community-academic-public health-practice (CAPP) partnership in addressing COVID-19-associated Black-White vaccination disparities over 19 months. Initially (April 2021), the cumulative vaccinations for Black versus White Louisianans were 54 542 per 100 000 versus 62 435 per 100 000, respectively. By October 2022, cumulative vaccinations for Black versus White Louisianans were 142 437 per 100 000 versus 132 488 per 100 000, respectively. The vaccination equity score increased from 908 out of 1000 in April 2021 to 942 out of 1000 in October 2022. CAPP partnership efforts contributed to addressing initial Black-White COVID-19 vaccination disparities. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(S1):S55-S58. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307509).

Patterns and Life Course Determinants of Black–White Disparities in Biological Age Acceleration: A Decomposition Analysis

Despite the prominence of the weathering hypothesis as a mechanism underlying racialized inequities in morbidity and mortality, the life course social and economic determinants of Black–White disparities in biological aging remain inadequately understood. This study uses data from the Health and Retirement Study (n = 6,782), multivariable regression, and Kitagawa–Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition to assess Black–White disparities across three measures of biological aging: PhenoAge, Klemera–Doubal biological age, and homeostatic dysregulation. It also examines the contributions of racial differences in life course socioeconomic and stress exposures and vulnerability to those exposures to Black–White disparities in biological aging. Across the outcomes, Black individuals exhibited accelerated biological aging relative to White individuals. Decomposition analyses showed that racial differences in life course socioeconomic exposures accounted for roughly 27% to 55% of the racial disparities across the biological aging measures, and racial disparities in psychosocial stress exposure explained 7% to 11%. We found less evidence that heterogeneity in the associations between social exposures and biological aging by race contributed substantially to Black–White disparities in biological aging. Our findings offer new evidence of the role of life course social exposures in generating disparities in biological aging, with implications for understanding age patterns of morbidity and mortality risks.

Abstract B087: Racial disparities in breast cancer survival: Examining the potential role of neighborhood deprivation and breast adipose tissue inflammation

Abstract Background: Previous studies have found the Black-White disparity in breast cancer survival is greatest among women living in neighborhoods of high socioeconomic status (i.e., low % poverty). This study aimed to examine the association between race and breast cancer mortality according to neighborhood deprivation, a more comprehensive measure of neighborhood socioeconomic status. We also explored the association between neighborhood deprivation and the presence of breast adipose tissue inflammation as a potential biologic mechanism underlying the association. Methods: We examined Black-White disparities in breast cancer mortality overall and stratified by neighborhood deprivation status among 37,369 Black and White women in the Georgia Cancer Registry who were diagnosed with a first primary Stage I-IIIA breast cancer between 2010 and 2017 and followed until December 31, 2019. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). In a separate analysis, we examined the presence of crown-like structures in breast adipose tissue (CLS-B), detected by CD68 immunohistochemistry, among 342 women with stage I–III breast cancer who underwent mastectomy at Emory University Hospitals in Atlanta, Georgia (2007–2012). Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% CIs. For both cohorts of breast cancer patients, neighborhood deprivation was assessed dichotomously using census tract at diagnosis and the neighborhood deprivation index (NDI), which was computed using American Community Survey 5-year estimates for census tracts in Georgia. Results: In Georgia, we found Black women with breast cancer had ~1.8 times higher rate of breast cancer mortality than their White counterparts (age-adj. HR=1.78, 95% CI: 1.63, 1.94). The disparity was attenuated after adjusting for stage and molecular subtype but was not eliminated (multivariable (MV)-adj. HR=1.32, 95% CI: 1.21, 1.45). When stratified by NDI, the disparity was greater among women living in neighborhoods of low deprivation (MV-adj. HR=1.44, 95% CI: 1.26, 1.64) compared to high deprivation (MV-adj. HR=1.17, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.33). Among Emory breast cancer patients, we found high neighborhood deprivation was inversely associated with CLS-B (age- and race-adj. OR=0.48, 95% CI; 0.26, 0.87). We also found Black patients were more likely than their White counterparts to have CLS-B in low deprivation neighborhoods (age-adj. OR=1.79, 95% CI: 0.98, 3.25) but not in high deprivation neighborhoods (age-adj. OR=0.73, 95% CI: 0.24, 2.20), albeit estimates were imprecise. Conclusion: Our study using a population-based cohort of breast cancer patients in Georgia adds to the evidence that racial disparities in breast cancer survival are worse among women living in higher socioeconomic (i.e., low deprivation) neighborhoods. Additionally, we provide evidence of a potential underlying mechanism, finding the prevalence of CLS-B higher for women in low rather than high deprivation neighborhoods, particularly Black women in this group. Citation Format: Maret L. Maliniak, Lauren E. Barber, Jasmine M. Miller-Kleinhenz, Leah Moubadder, Lauren E. McCullough. Racial disparities in breast cancer survival: Examining the potential role of neighborhood deprivation and breast adipose tissue inflammation [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B087.

Decomposing the Black-White Racial Disparity in Severe Maternal Morbidity Risk: The Role of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy.

To our knowledge, no studies have explicitly studied the role of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) in racial disparities in severe maternal morbidity (SMM). Using causal mediation models, we estimated the proportion of the non-Hispanic (NH) Black-White racial disparity in risk of SMM that is explained through the pathway of HDP. We linked 2006-2019 Georgia hospital discharge records with vital statistics birth and fetal death records for NH Black and NH White birthing persons. We used G-estimation of a structural nested mean model to decompose the absolute racial disparity in the incidence of SMM into pathways operating through HDP. NH Black birthing people experienced an excess 56 SMM events (95% confidence interval [CI] = 52, 59) per 10,000 delivery hospitalizations compared with NH White birthing people. If counterfactual disparity measure estimation assumptions hold, the estimated absolute disparity remaining after blocking the causal pathways through HDP was 41 SMM events per 10,000 deliveries (95% CI = 38, 44), suggesting that 26% (95% CI = 12, 40) of the absolute racial disparity would be eliminated if there was no contribution of HDP to SMM risk. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that intervening to prevent HDP is an important (yet incomplete) pathway for reducing the excess risk among NH Black pregnancies compared with NH White pregnancies.

Association of the affordable care act with racial and ethnic disparities in uninsured emergency department utilization

BackgroundDisparities in uninsured emergency department (ED) use are well documented. However, a comprehensive analysis evaluating how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may have reduced racial and ethnic disparities is lacking. The goal was to assess the association of the ACA with racial and ethnic disparities in uninsured ED use.MethodsThis study used data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Emergency Department Databases (SEDD) for Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York from 2011 to 2017. Participants include non-elderly adults between 18 and 64 years old. Outcomes include uninsured rates of ED visits by racial and ethnic groups and stratified by medical urgency using the New York University ED algorithm. Visits were aggregated to year-quarter ED visits per 100,000 population and stratified for non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic non-elderly adults. Quasi-experimental difference-in-differences and triple differences regression analyses to identify the effect of the ACA and the separate effect of the Medicaid expansion were used comparing uninsured ED visits by race and ethnicity groups pre-post ACA.ResultsThe ACA was associated with a 14% reduction in the rate of uninsured ED visits per 100,000 population (from 10,258 pre-ACA to 8,877 ED visits per 100,000 population post-ACA) overall. The non-Hispanic Black compared to non-Hispanic White disparity decreased by 12.4% (-275.1 ED visits per 100,000) post-ACA. About 60% of the decline in the Black-White disparity was attributed to disproportionate declines in ED visit rates for conditions classified as not-emergent (-93.2 ED visits per 100,000), and primary care treatable/preventable (-64.1 ED visits per 100,000), while the disparity in ED visit rates for injuries and not preventable conditions also declined (-106.57 ED visits per 100,000). All reductions in disparities were driven by the Medicaid expansion. No significant decrease in Hispanic-White disparity was observed.ConclusionsThe ACA was associated with fewer uninsured ED visits and reduced the Black-White ED disparity, driven mostly by a reduction in less emergent ED visits after the ACA in Medicaid expansion states. Disparities between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White adults did not decline after the ACA. Despite the positive momentum of declining disparities in uninsured ED visits, disparities, especially among Black people, remain.

Neighborhood Deprivation and Severe Maternal Morbidity in a Medicaid Population

Few studies have examined whether neighborhood deprivation is associated with severe maternal morbidity (SMM) in already socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Little is known about to what extent neighborhood deprivation accounts for Black-White disparities in SMM. This study investigated these questions among a statewide Medicaid-insured population, a low-income population with heightened risk of SMM. Data were from Michigan statewide linked birth records and Medicaid claims between 01/01/2016 and 12/31/2019, and were analyzed between 2022 and 2023. Neighborhood deprivation was measured with the Area Deprivation Index at census block group and categorized as low, medium, or high deprivation. Multilevel logistic models were used to examine the association between neighborhood deprivation and SMM. Fairlie nonlinear decomposition was conducted to quantify the contribution of neighborhood deprivation to SMM racial disparity. People in the most deprived neighborhoods had higher odds of SMM than those in the least deprived neighborhoods (aOR [95% CI]: 1.27 [1.15, 1.40]). Such association was observed in Black (aOR [95% CI]: 1.34 [1.07, 1.67]) and White (aOR [95% CI]: 1.26 [1.12, 1.42]) racial subgroups. Decomposition showed that of 57.5 (cases per 10,000) explained disparity in SMM, neighborhood deprivation accounted for 23.1 (cases per 10,000; 95% CI: 16.3, 30.0) or two-fifths (40.2%) of the Black-White disparity. Analysis on SMM excluding blood transfusion showed consistent but weaker results. Neighborhood deprivation may be used as an effective tool to identify at-risk individuals within a low-income population. Community-engaged interventions aiming at improving neighborhood conditions may be helpful to reduce both SMM prevalence and racial inequity in SMM.

Within-Physician Differences in Patient Sharing Between Primary Care Physicians and Cardiologists Who Treat White and Black Patients With Heart Disease.

Black-White disparities in heart disease treatment may be attributable to differences in physician referral networks. We mapped physician networks for Medicare patients and examined within-physician Black-White differences in patient sharing between primary care physicians and cardiologists. Using Medicare fee-for-service files for 2016 to 2017, we identified a cohort of Black and White patients with heart disease and the primary care physicians and cardiologists treating them. To ensure the robustness of within-physician comparisons, we restricted the sample to regional health care markets (ie, hospital referral regions) with at least 10 physicians sharing ≥3 Black and White patients. We used claims to construct 2 race-specific physician network measures: degree (number of cardiologists with whom a primary care physician shares patients) and transitivity (network tightness). Measures were adjusted for Black-White differences in physician panel size and calculated for all settings (hospital and office) and for office settings only. Of 306 US hospital referral regions, 226 and 145 met study criteria for all settings and office setting analyses, respectively. Black patients had more cardiology encounters overall (6.9 versus 6.6; P<0.001) and with unique cardiologists (3.0 versus 2.6; P<0.001), but fewer office encounters (31.7% versus 41.1%; P<0.001). Primary care physicians shared Black patients with more cardiologists than White patients (mean differential degree 23.4 for all settings and 3.6 for office analyses; P<0.001 for both). Black patient-sharing networks were less tightly connected in all but office settings (mean differential transitivity -0.2 for all settings [P<0.001] and near 0 for office analyses [P=0.74]). Within-physician Black-White differences in patient sharing exist and may contribute to disparities in cardiac care.

Residential segregation and Black-White differences in physical and mental health: Evidence of a health paradox?

Ample research finds that residential segregation is detrimental to Black Americans' physical health and exacerbates Black-White physical health disparities. However, less is known about how residential segregation may influence Black Americans' mental health and Black-White differences in mental health. Drawing on U.S. census data and a state representative study of Indiana residents (N = 2,685), I examine associations between residential segregation and multiple dimensions of physical and mental health. Consistent with past research, I find that residential segregation has an adverse association with physical health among Black respondents. In contrast, I find residential segregation to have a salubrious association with Black respondents’ mental health, producing a Black mental health advantage at higher levels of segregation. I conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for research on residential segregation and health and the Black-White mental health paradox.

American Cancer Society's report on the status of cancer disparities in the United States, 2023.

In 2021, the American Cancer Society published its first biennial report on the status of cancer disparities in the United States. In this second report, the authors provide updated data on racial, ethnic, socioeconomic (educational attainment as a marker), and geographic (metropolitan status) disparities in cancer occurrence and outcomes and contributing factors to these disparities in the country. The authors also review programs that have reduced cancer disparities and provide policy recommendations to further mitigate these inequalities. There are substantial variations in risk factors, stage at diagnosis, receipt of care, survival, and mortality for many cancers by race/ethnicity, educational attainment, and metropolitan status. During 2016 through 2020, Black and American Indian/Alaska Native people continued to bear a disproportionately higher burden of cancer deaths, both overall and from major cancers. By educational attainment, overall cancer mortality rates were about 1.6-2.8 times higher in individuals with ≤12years of education than in those with ≥16years of education among Black and White men and women. These disparities by educational attainment within each race were considerably larger than the Black-White disparities in overall cancer mortality within each educational attainment, ranging from 1.03 to 1.5 times higher among Black people, suggesting a major role for socioeconomic status disparities in racial disparities in cancer mortality given the disproportionally larger representation of Black people in lower socioeconomic status groups. Of note, the largest Black-White disparities in overall cancer mortality were among those who had ≥16years of education. By area of residence, mortality from all cancer and from leading causes of cancer death were substantially higher in nonmetropolitan areas than in large metropolitan areas. For colorectal cancer, for example, mortality rates in nonmetropolitan areas versus large metropolitan areas were 23% higher among males and 21% higher among females. By age group, the racial and geographic disparities in cancer mortality were greater among individuals younger than 65years than among those aged 65years and older. Many of the observed racial, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities in cancer mortality align with disparities in exposure to risk factors and access to cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment, which are largely rooted in fundamental inequities in social determinants of health. Equitable policies at all levels of government, broad interdisciplinary engagement to address these inequities, and equitable implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as increasing health insurance coverage, are needed to reduce cancer disparities.

Trends in Racial Disparities in Healthcare Expenditures Among Senior Medicare Fee-for-service Enrollees in 2007–2020

AbstractDespite the universal healthcare coverages, racial disparities in healthcare expenditures among senior Medicare beneficiaries exist. A few studies explored how racial disparities in healthcare expenditures changed over past decades and how it affected differently across 4 minoritized races, by type of Medicare and poverty levels. We conducted a longitudinal study of 21 healthcare expenditures from senior Medicare fee-for-service enrollees to determine overall and secular trends in racial disparities in healthcare expenditures between 2007 and 2020, during which the Affordable Care Act (ACA) came into full force and the COVID-19 pandemic had begun. We found important disparities in healthcare expenditures across 4 minoritized races compared to Whites, even after adjusting for possible confounders for such disparities. Disparities between Hispanics/Asians and Whites were much greater than disparities between Blacks and Whites, in all Parts A, B, and D expenditures. This reality has not been sufficiently emphasized in the literature. Importantly, Black-White disparities in total Part B expenditure gradually worsened between 2007 and 2020, and Hispanic-White and Asian-White disparities worsened greatly during that time window. Health planners need to focus on these large disparities and develop methods to shrink them.

Severe maternal morbidity by race and ethnicity before vs. during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeTo examine the change in racial disparity in severe maternal morbidity (SMM) during the COVID-19 pandemic and the associations between SARS-CoV-2 infection and SMM. MethodsThis retrospective cohort study used linked databases of all livebirths delivered between 2018 and 2021 in South Carolina (n = 162,576). Exposures were 1) pre-pandemic and pandemic periods (before vs. March 2020 onwards); 2) SARS-CoV-2 infection, severity, and timing of first infection. Log-binomial regression models were used. ResultsSMM rate was higher among pandemic childbirths than pre-pandemic period (p = 0.06). The risk of SMM among Hispanics was doubled from pre-pandemic to pandemic periods (adjusted relative risk (aRR)= 2.50, 95% CI: 1.27, 4.94). During pre-pandemic, compared to White women, Black women (aRR=1.37, 95% CI: 1.14–1.64), while Hispanics had lower risk of SMM (aRR=0.42, 95% CI: 0.24–0.73). During the pandemic, the Black-White difference in the risk of SMM persisted (aRR=1.24, 95% CI: 1.00–1.54) and Hispanic-White difference in SMM risk became insignificant (aRR=0.85, 95% CI: 0.54–1.34). SARS-CoV-2 infection, its severity, and the late diagnosis were associated with 1.78–5.06 times higher risk of SMM. ConclusionsDuring pandemic, Black-White racial disparity in SMM persisted but the relative pre-pandemic advantage in SMM among Hispanic women over White women disappeared during the pandemic.

Black-White disparities in colorectal cancer outcomes: a simulation study of screening benefit.

The US Black population has higher colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence rates and worse CRC survival than the US White population, as well as historically lower rates of CRC screening. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results incidence rate data in people diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 45 years, before routine CRC screening is recommended, were analyzed to estimate temporal changes in CRC risk in Black and White populations. There was a rapid rise in rectal and distal colon cancer incidence in the White population but not the Black population, and little change in proximal colon cancer incidence for both groups. In 2014-2018, CRC incidence per 100 000 was 17.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 15.3 to 19.9) among Black individuals aged 40-44 years and 16.6 (95% CI = 15.6 to 17.6) among White individuals aged 40-44 years; 42.3% of CRCs diagnosed in Black patients were proximal colon cancer, and 41.1% of CRCs diagnosed in White patients were rectal cancer. Analyses used a race-specific microsimulation model to project screening benefits, based on life-years gained and lifetime reduction in CRC incidence, assuming these Black-White differences in CRC risk and location. The projected benefits of screening (via either colonoscopy or fecal immunochemical testing) were greater in the Black population, suggesting that observed Black-White differences in CRC incidence are not driven by differences in risk. Projected screening benefits were sensitive to survival assumptions made for Black populations. Building racial disparities in survival into the model reduced projected screening benefits, which can bias policy decisions.

Abstract 13115: Association of Hospital Racial Composition and Anticoagulation for Atrial Fibrillation: A Nationwide Study

Introduction: Anticoagulation reduces stroke risk in atrial fibrillation (AF). Patient-level studies show significant Black-White disparities in any anticoagulant and direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) prescribing. Little is known about whether such disparities exist at the hospital level, thus we examined the association of hospital racial composition and anticoagulant initiation. Hypothesis: Hospitals with higher rates of Black patients would have lower anticoagulation. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with incident AF treated at a VA medical center (VAMC) from 2018-2021. Our independent variable was hospital racial composition, defined by the proportion of Black patients cared for at a VAMC, with Quartile 1 (Q1) being the lowest, and Quartile (Q4) being the highest. We used a multivariable logistic regression model, adjusting for clinical factors (e.g., stroke and bleeding risk), year of diagnosis, and region, to estimate the odds of any anticoagulant and/or DOAC initiation by hospital racial composition. Results: We identified 86,436 patients with incident AF at 140 VAMCs, 10.5% Black, 89.5% White, mean age 73 years. Patients in Q4 were younger with similar stroke and bleeding risk to those in Q1. Overall, any anticoagulant use was 73.4% in Q1 and 71.4% in Q4 and lower for Black vs. White patients in both quartiles (Q1: 68.9% vs. 73.5%; Q4: 69.1 vs. 72.0%). The odds of initiating any anticoagulant overall were lower in Q1 hospitals compared to Q4: adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.85; 95% CI 0.73-0.99; p=0.04. DOAC use was similar in Q1 and Q4 (67.6% vs. 67.2%) though lower for Black vs. White patients in both quartiles (Q1: 57.4% vs. 67.7%; Q4: 63.3 vs. 68.5%). There was no significant difference overall in the odds of initiating DOAC in Q1 hospitals compared to Q4, aOR: 0.96; 95% CI 0.83-1.12; p=0.61. Conclusions: In a national study of patients with AF in the VA, we observed a significant difference in any anticoagulant but not DOAC initiation by hospital racial composition. Racial differences in anticoagulant use existed across quartiles, as in prior work. These data suggest that racial disparities in anticoagulant use in the VA, a safety net health system, may require local rather than national-level solutions alone to eliminate them.

Racial Disparities in Cesarean Delivery Rates: Do Hospital-Level Factors Matter?

This study aimed to assess whether racial disparities in nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex cesarean delivery rates vary among hospitals of different type (academic vs. nonacademic), setting (urban vs. rural), delivery volume, and patient population. This is a retrospective cohort study including singleton term vertex live births in nulliparous Black and non-Hispanic White birthing people in California between 2011 and 2017. Cesarean delivery rates were obtained using birth certificate data and International Classification of Diseases, 9th/10th Revision codes. Risk of cesarean delivery was compared among Black versus White birthing people by hospital type (academic, nonacademic), setting (rural, suburban, urban), volume (< 1,200, 1,200-2,300, 2,400-3,599, ≥3,600 deliveries annually), and patient population (proportion Black-serving). Federal Information Processing codes were used to designate hospital setting. Risks were calculated using univariable and multivariable logistic regression and adjusted for birthing person age, body mass index, medical comorbidities, gestational age, labor type (spontaneous vs. induction), and infant birthweight. The sample included 59,441 Black (cesarean delivery rate: 30.2%) and 363,624 White birthing people (cesarean delivery rate: 26.1%). Black birthing people were significantly more likely than White birthing people to have a cesarean delivery across nearly all hospital-level factors considered with adjusted relative risks ranging from 1.1 to 1.3. The only exception was rural settings in which the adjusted relative risk was 1.3 but did not reach statistical significance. Black-White disparities in nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex cesarean delivery rates were persistent across all hospital-level factors we considered: academic status, rurality, delivery volume, and patient population. Furthermore, disparities existed at roughly the same magnitude regardless of hospital characteristics. These global increased risks likely reflect structural inequities in care, which contribute to disparities in pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality. These data should encourage providers, hospital systems, and quality collaboratives to further investigate racial disparities in cesarean delivery rates and develop strategies for eliminating them. · Nulliparous Black birthing people are more likely than White to undergo cesarean delivery.. · This persists across hospitals of all academic status, rurality, delivery volume, and patient population.. · These findings likely reflect structural rather than institutional inequities in obstetric care..

A comprehensive demographic profile of the US evicted population

Millions of American renter households every year are threatened with eviction, an event associated with severe negative impacts on health and economic well-being. Yet we know little about the characteristics of individuals living in these households. Here, we link 38 million eviction court cases to US Census Bureau data to show that 7.6 million people, including 2.9 million children, faced the threat of eviction each year between 2007 and 2016. Overall, adult renters living with at least one child in their home were threatened with eviction at an annual rate of 10.4%, twice that of adults without children (5.0%). We demonstrate not only that the average evicted household includes one child, but that the most common age to experience eviction in America is during childhood. We also find that previous studies have underestimated racial disparities in eviction risk: Despite making up only 18.6% of all renters, Black Americans account for 51.1% of those affected by eviction filings and 43.4% of those evicted. Roughly one in five Black Americans living in a renter household is threatened with eviction annually, while one in ten is evicted. Black-White disparities persist across levels of income and vary by state. In providing the most comprehensive description to date of the population of US renters facing eviction, our study reveals a significant undercount of individuals impacted by eviction and motivates policies designed to stabilize housing for children and families.

You can't dismantle what you don't recognize: The effect of learning critical Black history in healthcare on perspective-taking.

Black (compared to White) Americans endure worse healthcare and health outcomes, and discrimination perpetuates these disparities. However, many White Americans deny that racial injustice exists. Two studies (N = 1,853 White Americans) tested whether learning Critical Black History (history of injustice) in healthcare increased perspective-taking and its subsequent impact on racism recognition. When participants learned Critical Black History, perspective-taking was positively associated with isolated and systemic racism recognition (Study 1). In Study 2, participants were randomly assigned to learn Critical Black History, Celebratory Black History (history of achievement), or a Control lesson. Participants who learned Critical Black History (vs. Celebratory or Control) engaged in higher levels of perspective-taking which, in turn, increased racism recognition/acknowledgment, support for anti-racist healthcare policies, and recognition of systemic contributors to Black-White health disparities; no change in negative stereotype endorsement was observed. These findings suggest learning about racial injustice, coupled with perspective-taking, engenders support for racial equity in healthcare. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Association of Reproductive Autonomy and Rates of State-Level Racialized Disparities in Preterm Birth and Low Birthweight.

Reproductive policies' impact on disparities in neonatal outcomes is understudied. Thus, we aimed to assess whether an index of reproductive autonomy is associated with black-white disparities in preterm birth (PTB) and low birthweight (LBW). We used publicly available state-level PTB and LBW data for all live-births among persons aged 15-44 from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018. The independent measure was an index of state laws characterizing each state's reproductive autonomy, ranging from 5 (most restrictive) to 43 (most enabling), used continuously and as quartiles. Linear regression was performed to evaluate the association between both the index score (continuous, primary analysis; quartiles, secondary analysis) and state-level aggregated black-white disparity rates in PTB and LBW per 100 live births. Among 10,297,437 black (n=1,829,051 [17.8%]) and white (n=8,468,386 [82.2%]) births, rates of PTB and LBW were 6.46 and 8.24 per 100, respectively. Regression models found that every 1-U increase in the index was associated with a -0.06 (confidence interval [CI]: -0.10 to -0.01) and -0.05 (CI: -0.08, to -0.01) per 100 lower black-white disparity in PTB and LBW rates (p<0.05, p<0.01), respectively. The most enabling quartiles were associated with -1.21 (CI: -2.38 to -0.05) and -1.62 (CI: -2.89 to -0.35) per 100 lower rates of the black-white disparity in LBW, compared with the most restrictive quartile (both p<0.05). Greater reproductive autonomy is associated with lower rates of state-level disparities in PTB and LBW. More research is needed to better understand the importance of state laws in shaping racialized disparities, reproductive autonomy, and birth outcomes.