Ethnicity & health
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Introduction: It is well documented in the US civilian healthcare system that race is correlated with different outcomes for ischemic stroke patients. That healthcare system has wide variations in access to and quality of care. In contrast, the US military healthcare system (MHS) a universal healthcare system where every member has access to the same healthcare benefits. ⋯ This finding was correlated with costs for radiological studies but was not correlated with any increase in the length of stay. Conclusion: Racial disparities evident in the civilian healthcare system do not appear to transfer the universal healthcare system represented by the MHS. Universal healthcare mitigates racial disparities in ischemic stroke admissions.
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Introduction: Chronic hepatitis B presents significant issues to public health and clinical practices. The infection requires lifelong clinical management and is a leading risk factor for liver cancer and liver cirrhosis. Limited studies currently exist on the social impacts of living with chronic hepatitis B, especially for people from Sub-Saharan Africa. ⋯ Healthcare system level experiences included receiving mixed messages about hepatitis B, challenges with regular testing and difficulty receiving hepatitis B treatment. Conclusion: The findings provide valuable insights into the social impacts of hepatitis B. It underlines the importance of integrated public health interventions at the community level to improve knowledge and awareness of hepatitis B which address stigma in the South Sudanese community in Australia.
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Objective: To understand health disparities, it is important to use an intersectional framework that examines unique experiences of oppression faced by particular groups due to their intersecting identities and social positions linked to societal structures. We focus on Black and Latina women and their experiences with 'gendered racism' - unique forms of oppression due to the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender - to foster understanding of disparities between Black and Latina versus White women in sexual and reproductive health outcomes in the U. S. ⋯ Results: Black and Latina women reported greater frequency of and concern over stereotype-related gendered racism (F(3,131) = 17.90, p < .001 Study 1; F(3,339) = 22.23, p < .001 Study 2) and greater birth control-related mistrust (F(3,131) = 7.55, p < .001 Study 1; F(3,339) = 17.32, p < .001 Study 2) than White women did. In turn, stereotype-related gendered racism was positively associated with pregnancy-specific stress (ß = .40, p < .001 Study 1; ß = .33, p < .001 Study 2), and birth control-related mistrust was negatively associated with sexual relationship power (ß = -.19, p = .002 Study 2), which are factors known to contribute to birth outcomes and sexual risk, respectively. Conclusion: Findings suggest that gendered racism may play an important role in existing racial/ethnic disparities in women's sexual and reproductive health outcomes, and interventions addressing gendered racism at multiple levels are needed to promote health equity.
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Objectives:: Given the ethnic/racial disparities in end-of-life care, this study aimed to describe and identify factors affecting engagement in three types of advance care planning including informal talk, living will, and durable power of attorney for health care among ethnic/racial minority older adults. Living will refers to any written instruction about medical treatments at the end-of-life while durable power of attorney for health care allows someone to make a health care decision when an individual is incapable of making a reasoned decision. Design:: We used a subset of racial/ethnic minority groups drawn from the second wave of the National Health Aging and Trends Survey (n = 543) collected in 2012. ⋯ Non-Hispanic others were more likely to have informal talk and complete durable power of attoreny for health care to compared to Blacks. Furthermore, married older adults were more likely to complete living wills compared to those separated/divorced or never married. Conclusions:: Our findings about different factors affecting engagement in advance care planning indicate that we may need targeted approaches to promote each type of advance care planning for ethnic/racial minority older adults.
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Objective: Advance care planning (ACP) allows individuals to express their preferences for medical treatment in the event that they become incapable of making their own decisions. This study assessed the efficacy of a conversation game intervention for increasing South Asian Indian Americans' (SAIAs') engagement in ACP behaviors as well as the game's acceptability and cultural appropriateness among SAIAs. Design: Eligible community-dwelling SAIAs were recruited at SAIA cultural events held in central Texas during the summer of 2016. ⋯ ACP Engagement Survey scores increased significantly on all four of the process subscales by 3 months postgame. Conclusion: SAIA individuals who played a conversation game had a relatively high rate of performing ACP behaviors 3 months after the intervention. These findings suggest that conversation games may be useful tools for motivating people from minority communities to engage in ACP behaviors.