CB3-01: Comparison of Ethnicity and Race Categorization in Electronic Medical Records and by Self-report

Background/Aims Members of minority groups are more likely than non-minorities to have worse health outcomes. Electronic medical records (EMR) data are often used for research on health disparities, and can help identify patient risk factors, but accuracy of ethnicity and race data in the EMR is often questioned. Aims To compare HealthPartners Medical Group (HPMG) EMR data on ethnicity/race to self-reported classification. Methods We compared percent agreement of self-reported and EMR data on ethnicity/race among 1719 patients who expressed interest in a hypertension clinical trial, completed an eligibility phone screen, and consented to EMR review. Patients classified their ethnicity/race in two questions: Are you of Latino or Hispanic descent? (Yes, No, Don't know, Refused); How would you describe your race (Check all that apply) (American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, White or Caucasian, Other, Don't know, Refused). EMR race categories allowed multiple selections among: White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, American Indian, Other, and No Answer. Results Race data was missing in 0.7% of phone screens and 1.2% of EMRs. Self-reported race was 79% white, 14% African American, 3% mixed, 2% other, 1% Asian, <1% Native American. In the EMR, race was recorded as 79% white, 14% African American, 3% mixed race, 1% Asian, <1% each for American Indian, and other. Overall agreement for race was 91.1%. EMR data agreed with self-report for 97% of those reporting white, 94% of those reporting African American, 83% Asian, 50% Native American, 9% mixed race and 6% other. Hispanic ethnicity was self-reported by 1.3% and coded for 2.4% in the EMR. EMR confirmed Hispanic ethnicity for 51% self-reporting Hispanic ethnicity. Discussion EMR race/ethnicity data was quite complete, and agreement of data sources was high overall and among whites, African Americans and Asians. Lower agreement was observed among Hispanic, Native American, and mixed race patients, subgroups that may be disproportionately affected by disparities. Some caution is needed in interpreting EMR-based results for those subgroups, and their proper classification in the EMR is warranted. Similar comparisons should be conducted in other settings and patient populations.     

Comparison of selected college students'' and sexually transmitted disease clinic patients'' knowledge about AIDS, risk behaviours and beliefs about condom use

Selected college students and sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic patients of the same age were compared for knowledge about AIDS, use of condoms, sexual behaviours and intentions to engage in various sexual practices. The Theory of Reasoned Action model was used to elicit beliefs about condom use and significant referents who influence condom-use decision making. Eighty-seven per cent of college students were sexually active. College students had significantly fewer sexual partners in a 30-day period than STD patients, but in a 6-month period the mean number of sexual partners was the same for both groups. Significant difference was found in frequency of condom use for subjects with more than one partner. Of the college student sample, 60% did not use condoms compared with 32% of STD patients. Eighteen per cent of college students reported intention to engage in anal intercourse. No STD patients reported such intention. No statistical difference was found between groups on overall knowledge about AIDS: both groups manifested adequate knowledge of basic AIDS-related facts. Significant differences between groups were found in rank order of beliefs about using condoms as well as those referents who influenced decision making. Beliefs about disease, pregnancy, worry and normative influences of sexual partner and friends had the strongest impact on college students. Sexual partner and mother had a strong influence on STD patients' decision making while 'disease', 'pregnancy', 'decreases feeling' and 'decreases partner's pleasure' were among the beliefs influencing condom use.     

Sexual abuse and sexual risk behaviors of minority women with sexually transmitted diseases

The relationship between sexual abuse and sexually transmitted disease (STD) represents an important and underinvestigated context of domestic violence. This study examined the association between sexual abuse, sexual risk behaviors, and risk for reinfection and HIV among minority women with STD. Mexican American and African American women (n = 617) with active STD entered a randomized study of behavioral intervention to reduce STD recurrence. Each underwent questioning at entry regarding sexual abuse and sexual risk behaviors. Comparisons of these behaviors using chi-square, t tests, and logistic regression were made by history of sexual abuse. Sexually abused women were more likely to have lower incomes, earlier coitus, STD history, currently abusive partners, new sex partners, anal sex, and bleeding with sex, placing them at increased risk for STD reinfection and HIV. Due to this association with sexual risk behavior, assessment for sexual abuse is essential in programs focusing on STD/HIV prevention.     

Factors affecting behaviours that address HIV risk among black and white South Africans

The aim of this study was to identify factors affecting HIV risk reduction among 150 Black and 150 White South Africans chosen by systematic random sampling. Main outcome measures included sexual behavior and condom use, knowledge about correct condom use, intention of condom use, behavioural norms, attitudes, normative beliefs, and subjective norms about condoms, HIV/AIDS health beliefs, and HIV risk behaviour. Bivariate analysis gave positive significant relations among being single, age, HIV/AIDS perceived severity, HIV/AIDS prevention barriers and HIV risk behaviour. Further, bivariate analysis gave negative significant relations among age at onset of puberty, age at first vaginal intercourse, correct condom use knowledge, subjective norms, intention to use condoms and HIV risk behaviour. Regression analysis indicated that for subjective norm to use condoms, less intention for condom use, less condom use knowledge and younger age of first vaginal intercourse were predictive for HIV/AIDS risk behaviour. HIV prevention intervention programmes should include the identified factors and cultural diversity.     

Racial and socioeconomic differences in risk factors for cardiovascular disease among Southern rural women

BACKGROUND: African American women living in the Southeast experience a higher mortality due to cardiovascular (CV) disease than their White counterparts. It is unclear if this vulnerability to CV disease is due to race, socioeconomic status, or health behaviors. OBJECTIVES: To examine the disparities in cardiovascular health between Southern rural, African American and White women to determine if a CV Risk-Index differed by race, education, or income levels and if differences persisted when controlling for body mass index (BMI). METHODS: Subjects were 1,110 women (27% African American, 73% White) residing in rural North Carolina. Data were collected by mailed questionnaire and analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). RESULTS: African American women had significantly lower education and lower income than Whites, higher BMI, and a much greater prevalence of hypertension, angina, and diabetes. In a three-way ANOVA including race, income, and education, education and race were significant predictors of the CV Risk Index, but when adjusted for BMI race was no longer significant (p =.3039); the only significant predictors were BMI and educational level. DISCUSSION: Women with the least education had the highest CV Risk-Index, regardless of race. These findings suggest the need to focus risk reduction interventions on all Southern rural women with limited education, not only African American women. This supports the current literature that suggests race should be viewed as a risk marker rather than a risk factor.     

Challenges and opportunities for HIV prevention and care: insights from focus groups of HIV-infected African American men.

Given the inordinate burden of HIV illness borne by African American men, investigations of HIV prevention and care in this population are urgently needed. In this qualitative study, a sample of 20 HIV-infected African American men participated in two focus groups in which they exchanged experiences and ideas about living with HIV. They shared details about how they were personally impacted by HIV, and together they constructed a perspective on the larger societal context in which the HIV infection rate among African American men continues unabated. The men focused on growing complacency about HIV/AIDS in the United States, underfunding of supports and services, stigmas operative in African American communities, and differential care based on race, gender, and diagnosis. They saw opportunity in personal strategies that help individual men infected with HIV to take a more empowered stance to deal with the disease and improve their health but looked for changes undertaken by African Americans at the community level to make a real difference in the epidemic. Their vision included enhanced support for HIV prevention and care from influential community institutions like Black churches, more open dialogue about drugs and sexual behavior, and capacity-building for families whose members are HIV-infected or at risk for HIV.     

Why Are Young College Women Not Using Condoms? Their Perceived Risk,Drug Use,and Developmental Vulnerability May Provide Important Clues to Sexual Risk

BACKGROUND: Young multiethnic college women (YMCW) are at risk for STDs and HIV secondary to high-risk sexual behaviors that are related to developmental issues such as invincibility, low perceived risk, and substance use. METHOD: One hundred YMCW on a southern California university campus completed surveys that examined variables that impacted their sexual risk. RESULTS: The study yielded many significantly correlated variables. Women with low perceived risk, lower use of drugs and alcohol, and who had parental involvement had lower sexual behavior risk. Women that were sexually assertive, had intentions to use condoms, and did not use substances used condoms more often. Older students in advanced grades who had steady partners used substances less and had decreased sexual risk, however, they experienced partner resistance to condoms, which canceled out any reduced risk. In a multiple regression analysis, condom use intention and substance use predicted condom use, perceived risk and substance use predicted sexual behavior risk. White women had significantly higher substance use, perceived sexual risk, and sexual behavior risk than did Latinas and African Americans. CONCLUSIONS: Despite their assertiveness and intentions, many participants had multiple sexual partners, and 64% of the YMCW were inconsistent condom users. Despite knowing the elevated risks, 52% used drugs and alcohol during sex. Negative attitudes (61%) about condoms were also demonstrated as a key factor in the lack of condom use.     

2009年山西省阳泉市艾滋病哨点监测结果分析

目的了解山西省阳泉市性病门诊男性就诊者、暗娼、流动人口对艾滋病相关知识的知晓情况、危险行为及HIV、梅毒及HCV的感染情况,为干预策略的制定提供依据。方法根据全国哨点监测统一方案的要求,2009年在阳泉市408名性病门诊男性就诊者、401名暗娼和407名流动人口进行问卷调查和血清抗HIV、快速血浆反应素环状卡片试验(RPR)、抗HCV检测。结果性病门诊男性就诊者艾滋病防治知识的知晓率高于暗娼和流动人口。暗娼人群和流动人口中未检出HIV抗体阳性者。性病门诊男性就诊者中检出HIV抗体阳性者1例,阳性率为0.25%,梅毒阳性率为15.93%,HCV阳性率为0.98%;近3个月发生商业性行为的占82.35%,与临时性伴发生性行为占54.90%;近1年被诊断为性病占43.14%。暗娼中梅毒阳性率为1.50%,HCV阳性率为0.50%;最近1次商业性行为使用安全套占86.28%;近1个月商业性行为每次使用安全套并坚持使用占74.06%。流动人口中梅毒阳性率和HCV阳性率均为0.24%,近1年发生商业性行为占25.43%,安全套每次使用率为40.38%;最近一次商业性行为安全套使用率为47.12%。结论加强各类人群的艾滋病监测,进一步加强健康教育和干预力度,控制艾滋病在阳泉市的传播流行。     

对卖淫妇女进行第二代STD/HIV监测与定群干预的探讨

目的　探讨对卖淫妇女开展的第二代性病 /艾滋病监测和定群干预方法。方法　 2 0 0 1年9月至 2 0 0 2年 9月 ,对 184名卖淫妇女进行血清学、临床和行为监测调查 ,评价诊治性病、健康教育等干预活动效果。结果　商业组卖淫妇女干预前、后性病检出率差异有显著性 (P <0 . 0 1) ;商业组卖淫妇女性病感染情况 ,随时间呈下降趋势 ;目标人群避孕套使用得到加强。结论　卖淫妇女二代STD/AIDS监测与干预 ,有利于预防和控制STD/AIDS的流行。     

Prevention strategies other than male condoms employed by low-income women to prevent HIV infection

This study sought to determine HIV prevention strategies other than male condom use employed by low-income women who have sex with men (WSM) and to identify variables that predict use of these strategies. A cross-sectional survey of nearly 4,000 women receiving Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits in 21 Missouri counties was conducted. The response rate was 58%, with 2,256 completed questionnaires returned. Women were asked to indicate one or more of nine methods they had ever used to prevent HIV infection. Women were also asked about their use of male condoms, preference for male condoms versus female condoms, and which partner usually made decisions about STD/HIV prevention. Of the 2,256 questionnaires returned, 1,325 WSM indicated use of at least one HIV prevention strategy other than condom use. Strategies were: being tested for HIV (68.2%), partner being tested for HIV (44.1%), asking partner about his sex history (41.1%), using oral contraceptives (18.8%), asking him if he has HIV (13.7%), douching (11.8%), withdrawal (9.4%), and having anal or oral sex (6.6%). Common predictors of these strategies were race, education, history of STD, condom use, and marital status. Basic misunderstandings about HIV prevention are common in specified subpopulations of low-income women. HIV prevention programs for low-income WSM should capitalize on women's efforts to prevent HIV by designing programs to help women replace ineffective prevention strategies with effective prevention strategies.     

Recruitment and cardiovascular risk characteristics of African American and Caucasian midlife women

This article describes the use of multiple strategies to recruit women, particularly African American women, into a home-based, moderate-intensity walking intervention and compares African American to Caucasian midlife women on cardiovascular risk characteristics at entry into the program. One hundred seventy-three women aged 45 to 65 years were recruited using a variety of strategies. Baseline findings showed that, on average, the women in the program had modifiable cardiovascular risk factors with proportionately more African American women than Caucasian women having hypertension and low physical fitness. The findings also illustrate the importance of using multiple recruitment strategies to encourage midlife African American and Caucasian women to participate in intervention trials.     

Distress and alcohol-related harms from intimates,friends, and strangers

Alcohol’s harms to others (AHTO) has gained increased research and policy attention, yet little information is available on different social relationships involved in such harms or consequences of harms perpetrated by various types of drinkers. Using data from the 2014 to 2015 US National Alcohol Survey (N = 5,922), we present analyses comparing frequency and impacts of eight past-year harms from other drinkers. In this sample (53% female; 66% White/Caucasian, 13% Black/African American, and 15% other race; 15% Hispanic/Latino of any race; mean age = 47 years), 19% reported at least one harm in the prior 12 months, 8% reported more than one harm, 4.9% reported a family perpetrator, 3.5% a spouse perpetrator, 6.1% a friend perpetrator, and 8.1% a stranger perpetrator. Controlling for basic demographics, the number of harms in the past year and harms perpetrated by known others (but not strangers) were significantly associated with recent distress. When comparing specific harms, financial problems due to a family member’s or a spouse/partner’s drinking each were associated with significantly greater distress, as were feeling threatened or afraid of family members, spouses/partners, or friends who had been drinking. These new data shed light on possible intervention points to reduce negative impacts of AHTO in the United States.     

Cardiovascular risk factors and socioeconomic status in African American and Caucasian women

Self-reported cardiovascular risk factors of obesity, physical inactivity, and smoking in African American and Caucasian women in North Carolina were compared, controlling for socioeconomic status (SES). Participants were 1,945 women aged 23 to 53 years; 20.1% African American and 79.9% Caucasian. Of the African American women, 38.8% were obese, 51.7% were inactive, and 31.2% smoked; of the Caucasians, 19.9% were obese, 31.2% were inactive, and 33.8% smoked. SES differed significantly by race (p < 0.001). Low and middle SES African American women were much more likely than high SES African Americans to be obese, inactive, and smokers. Among Caucasian women, those with low SES had the greatest prevalence for all three risk factors. After controlling for income and education, African American women were more than twice as likely as Caucasian women to be obese and to be inactive, but were only half as likely to smoke. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Res Nurs Health 21: 285–295, 1998     

Acceptance of Rapid HIV Screening in a Southeastern Emergency Department

Objectives:  The objective was to assess the acceptance of an emergency department (ED) human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening program based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for routine HIV screening in health care settings.
Methods:  Rapid HIV screening was offered on an opt-out basis to patients aged 13 to 64 years presenting to the ED by trained HIV counselors. Patients were excluded if they had a history of HIV, were physically or mentally incapacitated, did not understand their right to opt-out, or did not speak English or Spanish. Statistical analyses, including logistic regression, were performed to assess the associations between the demographics of patients offered testing and their test acceptance or refusal.
Results:  From March 2008 to January 2009, a total of 5,080 (91%) of the 5,585 patients offered the HIV test accepted, and 506 (9%) refused. White and married patients were less likely to accept testing than those who were African American and unmarried (p < 0.001). Adult patients were almost twice as likely to accept testing as pediatric patients (odds ratio [OR] = 1.95; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.50 to 2.53). As age increased among pediatric patients, testing refusal decreased (OR = 0.71; 95% CI = 0.59 to 0.85), and as age increased among adult patients, testing refusal increased (OR = 1.17; 95% CI = 1.12 to 1.22). Two percent of persons accepting the test were considered high risk. Males were more likely to report high-risk behavior than females (OR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.23 to 2.72).
Conclusions:  The opt-out approach results in high acceptance of routine HIV screening. Widespread adoption of the CDC's recommendations, although feasible, will require significant increases in resources.     

Content and Face Validity of the Marwit-Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory (Short Form) in African American Caregivers

There may be cultural differences in the experience of predeath grief in African American (AA)/Black caregivers for persons with Alzheimers disease (AD). The most commonly used screening tool, the Marwit and Meuser Caregiver Grief Inventory—Short Form (MMCGI-SF), was developed from focus groups with primarily Caucasian/White caregivers. Interviews were held with 19 AA spouse and adult child caregivers for persons with mild, moderate, and severe AD, and data were coded and compared with scale items on the MCMGI-SF to assess validity. Results from this study provide evidence for content and face validity of the MMCGI-SF for use in AA caregivers.