I want to do all I can to help too early, she said prevention is definitely the best and that emergency room care is much more expensive, and if the hispanics could get better preventive care that was being hurt by cultural differences then diabetes wouldn't be so bad from what she saw in her lab with that group. You still have not provided a link to the study so we all could read along with you - are you just going to ignore the questions and not contribute anymore? That seems very selfish of you.
I had some more questions for you since you are the expert on AHRQ data.
Ok some more data from the AHRQ regarding how minorities are a net gain to the system:
ahrq.gov
Blacks and Latinos with hypertension have trouble adhering to recommended diets
Just over half (53 percent) of all U.S. patients treated for high blood pressure (hypertension) have their blood pressure under control. The rates of blood pressure control are significantly lower among non-Hispanic black and Latino patients being treated for hypertension—less than 45 percent of these patients have their blood pressure controlled. They generally understand and agree that certain foods and food additives play an important role in causing hypertension, but they also find clinician-recommended diets expensive, an unwelcome departure from traditional and preferred diets, and socially isolating.
So we should do more to breed thier faulty culture out of them than to further entrench them into that culture eh? The cubans I am talking to seem to eat very healthy, beans and rice but like serving those heart stopping cuban sandwiches to silly whites - hehe
These attitudes were revealed during discussions that took place in focus groups involving 88 black and Latino patients with hypertension. Findings from this study suggest the importance of culturally sensitive approaches to dietary improvements, according to Carol R. Horowitz, M.D., M.P.H., of Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Dr. Horowitz and her colleagues conducted nine focus groups involving blacks (four groups) and Latinos (five groups) treated at hospitals serving East and Central Harlem. These are poor neighborhoods that have high rates of obesity and mortality.
Focus group participants acknowledged that salt, pork, preservatives, additives, and overeating contributed to hypertension. They also agreed that dietary changes such as avoiding fat, pork, Chinese food, alcohol, and large quantities of foods, as well as eating more garlic, fruits, and vegetables and drinking more water can reduce blood pressure. However, they were discouraged that dietary changes might not eliminate the need for medications, and they often felt the perceived sacrifice in quality of life was not worth it. you can lead the horse to water - but he must choose to drink
Participants also noted that it was expensive to cook differently for themselves than they did for other family members, and it was difficult to forego traditional and preferred foods. The researchers recommend that clinicians who ask hypertensive patients to change their diet should also ask about patient-centered barriers to healthy diets and be sensitive to the cultural, economic, and social realities of their patients. This study was supported in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS10859).
ahrq.gov
Home routines in minority families may impede the healthy development and future school success of their children
Disadvantage may start at home in some black and Hispanic families, concludes a study supported in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS11305). The study found that black and Hispanic children under 3 years of age experience multiple disparities in home routines, safety measures, and educational practices/resources that could impede their healthy development and future school success. For example, black children were nearly twice as likely as other children to not have regular mealtimes. Black and Hispanic children were more likely than white children to never eat lunch or dinner with their families.
Minority parents were less likely than white parents to install stair gates or cabinet safety locks or to lower the temperature setting on hot water heaters to reduce the risk of children getting burned by scalding water. Minority children were also less likely to go to bed at the same time each day, and Hispanic children were less likely to have a consistent daily nap time. Minority parents also were much less likely than white parents to read daily to their children, and they had fewer children's books at home—less than 30 books in black homes and less than 20 books in Hispanic homes, compared with an average of 83 children's books per white household. Black children also averaged 1 more hour of daily television watching than other children.
I already said it burns through a generation or 2 of productivity getting these illegals up to speed with the rest of society - AHRQ seems to agree with me - you have full faith in thier studys right?
ahrq.gov
Another study which claims language problems is a cost and negative on the healthcare system. Mean doctors, they should take a few foreign language courses eh and stop spending all that time reading new medical journals - inconsiderate dolts!!
ahrq.gov
Race appears to be a factor in how doctors communicate with their patients during primary care visits
This article goes into again how racial problems are very existant in the system - thier solution - add more to the plate of the medical student in "warm fuzzy" style making them feel more empathy for thier patient and take some cultural education directives - more time doing that means less time in reading new medical journals, practicing new surgeries, making new breakthroughs, in a society that didn't have to overcome this racial, language problem it seems they would be more efficient. So far the trend seems to be to make the doctors conform - not the patient who is here illegally unable to speak the language.
ahrq.gov
Patterns of care and outcomes of pneumonia in children vary substantially by ethnicity and race
The patterns of pneumonia care and outcomes of care vary substantially among children of different ethnic/racial groups, according to a recent study that was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS13056). For example, minority children were hospitalized for pneumonia at younger ages than white children, were more likely to be admitted to the hospital through the emergency department (ED), and were less likely to receive bronchoscopy or mechanical ventilation. Hispanic and Asian infants younger than 3 months were more likely than white or black infants to be hospitalized for pneumonia. Among children 3 months to 4 years of age with pneumonia, Hispanics had the highest percentage of children admitted to the hospital, followed by Asians, blacks, and whites. Hold up, I am being told the hispanics are a net gain to the system - what are they talking about?? And preventive care is pointless cause it doesn't save any money.
More black children were admitted to the hospital through the ED (67 percent) followed by Hispanic, Asian, and white children (59, 49, and 42 percent, respectively). More Hispanic and Asian children suffered from respiratory failure as identified by the need for mechanical ventilation (both at 3 percent) than black and white children (both at 2 percent). However, minority children were less likely than white children to receive either bronchoscopy or mechanical ventilation. Hispanic children had the longest average hospital stay (5.1 days), followed by Asian children (3.9 days), blacks (3.6 days), and whites (3.5 days). The total charges from highest to lowest were for Hispanic children (median $6,770), Asian children (median $6,154), black children (median $4,690), and white children (median $3,988). In conclusion, the researchers note the need for additional studies to better clarify how differences in quality of care, access to care, disease severity, and care-seeking behaviors contribute to ethnic differences in care outcomes.
ahrq.gov
Inner-city parents often have limited knowledge about managed care rules and practices
More than half (58 percent) of Americans insured by State Medicaid programs are enrolled in managed care plans. Yet, a survey of urban parents living in Boston found that most of them, especially those who are disadvantaged, do not know what managed care is and have little knowledge about managed care rules and practices. For example, many of the surveyed parents believed that prior approval was not necessary for emergency department visits for mild childhood illnesses.
This follows why perhaps immigrant children have 300% higher costs - lack of education of thier parents - but they are a net gain right?
These parents need better, more understandable information about managed care, particularly parents who are poor, Latino, and have limited English proficiency, suggests Glenn Flores, M.D., of Boston Medical Center. Dr. Flores and his colleagues interviewed 1,100 parents at inner-city community sites—including supermarkets, hair salons, and laundromats—about care access, insurance, and managed care. Their work was supported in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (K02 HS11305). Again the liberal solution seems to bend the already overstrectched system to meet the needs of the illegal - not the other way around forcing the illegal to get better english skills - Lets take the highly productive doctor already under a load and make him take feel good courses for illegals and learn thier language, lets not take the much less productive illegal and stick him in english classes for awhile - in fact lets never make the illegal learn english but give him spanish channels and entrench his culture so that he can continue to be a burden to the doctor who is too mean to learn spanish
Most of the parents were poor, minority, and covered by public health insurance. Although 55 percent of insured children were covered by managed care, 45 percent of their parents were unaware of their children's managed care coverage. When asked, "What is managed care?" 88 percent of parents did not know it was a type of insurance, and 94 percent did not identify a specific feature. Latino parents were significantly more likely to provide a wrong or "do not know" answer to this question. I saw a mexican at the lake worth beach with his 8 kids frying up some PORK on the BBQ - why would he stop doing that and read some medical information - that is boring - senore will learn my langauge - I have pig to BBQ - what do you advocate too early - entrench thier 3rd world culture more and get them speaking english?
Most parents reported that if their child were covered by managed care, they would bring the child to the ED without prior approval for minor childhood problems such as a sprained ankle or diarrhea. Latino ethnicity, having a child not covered by managed care, and having a child covered by managed care but being unaware of the managed care coverage were associated with 2.0, 2.3, and 2.9 greater odds, respectively, of answering definitions of managed care wrong or with a "don't know." Low family income and limited English proficiency were consistently associated with significantly higher odds of "wrong/do not know" answers about specific managed care features.
ahrq.gov
Researchers examine racial and ethnic disparities in emergency care
The emergency department milieu, which is characterized by time pressure, incomplete information, and high demands on attention and cognitive resources, increases the likelihood that stereotypes and bias will affect diagnostic and treatment decisions, note these authors. The potential for disparate treatment includes the timing and intensity of ED therapy as well as patterns of referral, prescription choices, and priority for hospital admission and bed assignment. Several strategies to address these disparities in ED care emerged from a roundtable discussion during the Academic Emergency Medicine conference.
Increased use of evidence-based guidelines might decrease uncertainty and minimize individual physician discretion. Use of continuous quality improvement programs to monitor adherence to clinical protocols could also be used to track clinical disparities at the individual or institutional level. In addition, zero tolerance for stereotypical remarks in the workplace, cultural competency training for emergency providers, enhanced linguistic services for patients who are not fluent in English, and increased workforce diversity would go a long way toward reducing disparities in the ED, according to these authors.
One means of improving health care disparities is changing the behavior and understanding of key personnel in academic health centers. These individuals influence policy and procedure, design and evaluate health systems, and define curricular standards for graduate and undergraduate medical education. The broad issue of disparities in emergency health care may be addressed in part by cultural competency education at several levels.
The authors point out several barriers to educating medical providers about disparities in health care. For example, cultural issues are rarely central to decisions about accreditation, certification, or credentialing. They suggest making cultural competency a formal element of curriculum and residency assessment and encouraging emergency medicine faculty to become more involved with the community.
Now we must also alter our educational programs at the colleges and schools to embrace the "warm fuzzies" and make people feel better - when I was in columbus ga I got beat up a lot by the blacks, when I was in hawaii the polynesians beat me up and called me howlie - I could have went through the rest of my life playing victim - from what I understand of economics specialization is the greater good to serve us all - but now you don't want just doctors that are good scientists - you want them to possess degrees in psychology and cultural enrichment and speak several languages to make the minorities feel good - I think they only have so much time - and these extra programs are better focused at the less productive minority victims than the overworked medical staff - but of course when I was in mexico I would much rather everyone learn to speak english than for me to learn to speak spanish - we always want the other guy to do the greater work eh? hehe
ahrq.gov
Black children have the highest rate of being overweight, but once they reach their teen years, they are no more likely than white children to be overweight. Hispanic teens are one-and-a-half times more likely than white or black teens to be overweight. Why are they overweight, too much PORK on the BBQ? overweight folks are a burdern on our healthcare system eh? But they are a net gain no?
The researchers, who were led by Jennifer Haas, M.D., of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, also found that regardless of their race or ethnicity, adolescents not covered by private health insurance and those enrolled in Medicaid are the most likely to be overweight. However, a relationship between insurance status and being overweight was not observed for younger children.
Although a previous study reported a lower risk of being overweight among adolescents from households with higher incomes, this study found that adolescents from higher income households were more likely to be overweight than their lower income counterparts. Such conflicting findings
HAHA, one AHRQ study says one thing, another contradicts it - oh but they have controls for this right? HAHA - so funny
indicate the need for further research into the relationship between socioeconomic status and the prevalence of being overweight among adolescents, notes Dr. Haas. Data for this study were drawn from interviews conducted as part of AHRQ's 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component.
For more information, see "The association of race, socioeconomic status, and health insurance with the prevalence of overweight in children and adolescents," by Dr. Haas, Lisa B. Lee, B.S., Celia P. Kaplan, Dr.P.H., and others, in the December 1, 2003, American Journal of Public Health 93(12), pp. 2105-2110.
ahrq.gov
Providing culturally sensitive care may lead to more effective health care delivery for racial/ethnic minorities
For Latinos, sharing a common language with their doctor influenced levels of trust and comfort. Latinos were also more vocal than either blacks or whites about culturally insensitive doctors and their front desk clinic staff, possibly as a result of language barriers.
White patients emphasized the importance of a collaborative relationship with the doctor, whereas blacks and Latinos focused more on wanting individualized care and attention. Latino and black patients also said they felt more comfortable in primary care offices that included respectful office staff, as well as culturally sensitive art, pictures, music, and reading materials, including those that addressed health problems specific to them.
Most doctors I know like to listen to some vivaldi - I think it is a waste of resources to convince the doctors to plug in some three six mafia or such to empathize with the patient - again this is the liberal way - conform to the patient, take time away from the scientist and divert to lesser issues, do not force the patient to adapt to the dominant language or culture and give more time to the doc to read more medical journals - he has to learn "warm fuzzy" - hell why stop at the medical level - lets take this to our military too - make all those Lee Ermy first seargeants more sensitive so he can make a better soldier - like the movie biloxi blues.
ahrq.gov
Minority Health/Disparities
Study confirms underuse of lipid-lowering agents by Medicaid-insured minority patients with cardiovascular disease
People who are diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD, including coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease) can reduce their risk of complications and death in several ways. These include proper diet, regular exercise, weight control, and in some instances, use of beta-blockers and lipid-lowering agents (LLA).
Minority patients younger than age 65 who are insured by Medicaid and have full medication prescription benefits are less likely than their white counterparts to benefit from use of LLA both before or after a CVD diagnosis, according to a study supported in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (T32 HS00059). This disparity results in part from providers' failure to initiate LLA therapy and in part from patients' failure to continue it.
Strategies that target LLA underuse by minorities throughout the process of CVD care are needed, according to David Litaker, M.D., Ph.D., and Siran M. Koroukian, Ph.D., of Case Western Reserve University. They analyzed Ohio Medicaid claims and LLA pharmacy claims for Medicaid-insured individuals younger than 65 who had a new medical claim for 1 of 15 CVD-related diagnoses or procedures from 1993 to 1998. They assessed the independent effect of minority status on new and ongoing LLA use, while controlling for clinical and demographic characteristics.
Overall, 26.4 percent of individuals (3,668 of 4,668) submitted LLA pharmacy claims, and 78.6 percent of previous or new users of LLA obtained one or more refills. Compared with whites, minorities were 36 percent less likely to have previously used an LLA, 38 percent less likely to receive a new LLA prescription, and 26 percent less likely to continue use, as evidenced by subsequent refill claims. Racial disparities in cardiovascular outcomes are unlikely to be reduced in the future without considerable and concerted efforts that target both the patient and health care provider, conclude the researchers.
Why bother with preventive medicine - that is all just a pipe dream right? Especially concerning minorities eh?
ahrq.gov
Programs to help the poor purchase nongroup health insurance may not have the intended effect
A number of States have established programs aimed at making health insurance financially more accessible to uninsured residents, often subsidizing premiums based on a sliding scale for lower income individuals. If premium subsidies are to be used to "level the playing field" for income as a potential barrier to obtaining health insurance in subsidized programs, these findings support some subsidy. However, for the uninsured, the price of nongroup insurance appeared to play a more abstract than particular role, since the majority who remained uninsured never priced insurance. Only 37 percent of uninsured households had ever priced health insurance, and only 4.2 percent reported ever being refused or limited in coverage.
ahrq.gov
Despite greater poverty, less education, and less access to care, Hispanics tend to have similar or better health than whites
Don't let that headline fool you though - go deeper into the data
The review confirmed that Hispanics—whether Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or members of another group—are less educated than most non-Hispanic whites, and their low socioeconomic status is associated with unhealthy behaviors, especially among the most acculturated. These range from smoking and poor diet to lack of exercise and obesity (about half of Mexican Americans are overweight compared with one-third of whites). Many studies have shown that Hispanics lack sufficient access to health services due to financial, transportation, and linguistic and cultural barriers. For example, in 1997, 37 percent of Hispanic nonelderly adults lacked health care coverage compared with 24 percent of blacks and 14 percent of non-Hispanic whites.
Yet, Hispanic and white infant mortality rates were comparable (6.1 vs. 6.3 per 1,000 live births); the projected 1999 life expectancy at birth was 1 to 2 years greater for Hispanics than whites; and the 1995 age-adjusted, all-cause mortality rate for Hispanics was 18 percent below that of whites. Differences emerged in disease-specific mortality rates. Non-Hispanic whites had higher mortality rates than Hispanics for heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia and influenza, and suicide. they eat themselves to death perhaps? Conversely, Hispanics had hhigher mortality rates than non-Hispanic whites due to chronic liver disease, HIV/AIDS, unintentional injuries, and homicide.they have more sex, drink more, more accidents, more violence no?
ahrq.gov
Cultural and language problems can lead to dire consequences during pediatric emergencies
Twenty-nine percent of the U.S. population and one out of every three children is a member of an ethnic or racial minority group. By 2025, almost 40 percent of Americans and about half of all U.S. children with be minorities. Thus, emergency room (ER) clinicians will often encounter children needing emergency care who come from families with cultural differences or who don't speak English at all or only haltingly.
again and again the big problem seems to be the language diversity of the melting pot - solution - monoculture - get these spanish speaking some english quick - stop giving them a crutch to fall back into their language - have bush direct some funds to getting language classes to all these non english speakers - a few years of concentrated effort could fix the whole nation long before 2025 arrives
Failure to appreciate the importance of culture and language in pediatric emergencies can be catastrophic. It can lead to problems in obtaining informed consent, inadequate understanding of diagnoses and treatment by families, unnecessary medical and social service evaluations, inadequate analgesia, and dissatisfaction with care, warn the authors of a study supported in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS11305).
Glenn Flores, M.D., of Boston Medical Center, and his colleagues reviewed studies on culture and language in the emergency care of children that were published in English or Spanish from 1966 to 1999. A final database of 117 articles yielded numerous insights. For instance, parents and children with limited English proficiency often don't get the interpreters they need and have a poor understanding of their diagnosis and treatment. Also, certain ethnic-specific beliefs such as the Navajo hozhooji (the belief that negative thoughts and words can cause harm) can impede informed consent (for example, to surgery that a doctor acknowledges to have some risks).
Numerous folk illnesses, such as empacho among Latinos (term for chronic indigestion in children with diarrhea), can affect care because symptoms often overlap with potentially serious biomedical conditions such as intestinal blockage or appendicitis. The first clinical contact may be with folk healers, and certain folk remedies are harmful or even fatal (for example, use of lead powders for empacho). Use of cultural code cards could help ER clinicians quickly identify and treat pediatric problems in ways acceptable to parents. Such cards would depict folk illnesses and symptoms of specific ethnic groups, folk remedies used to treat them, and related biomedical conditions, conclude the researchers.
ahrq.gov
Another study saying to make the healthcare providers conform to the users, not the minority users to conform to the majority system - one way seems more efficient to me.
ahrq.gov
Disparities/Minority Health
Even with insurance, elderly Hispanics undergo far fewer hip replacement operations than older non-Hispanic whites
Many Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries who suffer from joint-debilitating arthritis may not be getting hip replacement surgery that could relieve their pain and keep them from becoming disabled even though they have coverage for the procedure, according to a new study sponsored in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS09775). The study found that Hispanics aged 65 and older in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Illinois were less than one-third as likely as non-Hispanic whites the same age to undergo total hip replacement, an operation that can alleviate pain and improve physical function and quality of life in patients with severe osteoarthritis.
The authors believe that the underuse of total hip replacement surgery among older Hispanics may be due in part to their tendency to be influenced in their medical care decisionmaking by the personal experiences of relatives and acquaintances. Patients in the study may have decided to forego the hip replacement surgery because its limited use among older Hispanics made it less likely that they knew anyone who could tell them first-hand about the operation.
A second, and related factor, may be poor English-language skills. If a patient had difficulty in communicating with the doctor, he or she may have been less inclined to undergo the surgery.
More than half of the Nation's 35 million Hispanics speak Spanish at home, and of these, nearly half speak English less than "very well." Elderly Hispanics, often recent immigrants or people who have lived in the United States awhile but depend on others for their language needs, tend to be less likely to speak English. According to the study's lead author, Agustin Escalante, M.D., of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, underuse of hip replacement surgery by the large and growing U.S. Hispanic population could have important consequences for Medicare because the resulting excess disability could increase long-term custodial costs. Data from AHRQ's Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) for 1999 show that nearly 92,000 total hip replacement procedures were performed on Medicare patients, and the average charge for the hospital stay, exclusive of physicians' fees, was about $23,000. Medicare also paid for 84,000 partial hip replacement procedures in 1999.
ahrq.gov
Language difficulties are as much of a barrier to health care for some Latinos as being uninsured
Limited ability to speak English among Spanish-speaking Latinos dissuades them from seeing a doctor for health problems as much as a lack of health insurance does, according to a new study. This is particularly troublesome, since growing numbers of poor Spanish-speaking patients are entering Medicaid managed care plans, which have few interpreters and culturally competent staff to help these patients communicate. These plans need to develop effective systems to improve communication between health care providers and patients, conclude Kathryn Pitkin Derose, M.P.H., of the University of California, Los Angeles, and David W. Baker, M.D., M.P.H., of Case Western Reserve University.
The barrier to health care for Latinos with poor English proficiency was similar to barriers presented by lack of insurance and lack of a regular source of care. For example, Medicaid patients reported 42 percent more visits than uninsured patients, and patients with a regular source of care reported 41 percent more physician visits than those who had no regular source of care. This lower use of physician services by Latinos who have difficulty speaking English is disturbing, especially since in this study more than half of these patients rated their usual health as fair or poor.
ahrq.gov
Blacks often are less satisfied with their health care, perhaps because they feel "socially distant" from their doctors
Blacks usually are less satisfied with their doctors and health care than whites. This may be due in part to their greater "social distance" from their doctors compared with whites, suggests a study supported in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS09894). Doctors are highly educated, usually have higher incomes, tend to come from upper class families, and seldom are black. White patients are more likely than black patients to have similar socioeconomic status and race as their doctors and thus less social distance from them, which can lead to more satisfying interaction, explains Jennifer Malat, Ph.D., of the University of Cincinnati.
Dr. Malat analyzed data from the 1995 Detroit Area Study, in which 1,140 adults (586 were black) were asked to rate their doctor from poor to excellent on respectful treatment and time spent with them during their last office visit. More than 64 percent of whites rated their doctor as excellent on respect and time, but only 47 percent of blacks conferred a similar rating; 46 percent of whites and 35 percent of blacks rated their doctor as excellent on time spent with them. Increasing per capita household income was associated with increasing likelihood of reporting more respectful treatment and time spent. The relationship between educational level and time was not significant. However, the least educated individuals were most likely to report excellent respect (perhaps due to lower expectations of how much respect doctors should show them).
Those who visited a doctor of their race rated their provider higher on both respect and time, but the relationship was significant only for respect. Overall, whites were almost twice as likely as blacks to rate their doctors highly for respect, even after controlling for other factors such as age, health status, and source of care. The race effect for time was lower but still significant. Overall, the socioeconomic status variables reduced the coefficient for race by 24 percent in the model predicting respect and by 28 percent in the model predicting time.
So racial mapping helps right? nope think again more contradictions
ahrq.gov
Minority Health
Racial matching of patients and physicians does not necessarily lead to better quality of care
Some people advocate increasing the number of black doctors to enhance medical care in black communities and improve health outcomes among the poor and disadvantaged. They believe that black doctors understand the cultural and social context of illness in the black community, more effectively communicate with black patients, and thus deliver better care to them. However, it is not necessary for black patients to be treated by black doctors to achieve better care, concludes a study supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (National Research Service Award training grant T32 HS00032). Hold up the links above from AHRQ say we need more diversity in the hospitals, more latin and black doctors, more responsiveness to their culture and language - and then to say that is not necessary for better care - you do trust these studies right?
ahrq.gov
Moreover, the frustrating and time-consuming search for a dentist, arranging an appointment, and finding transportation left caregivers exhausted and discouraged. They reported that very few dentists accepted Medicaid patients, only saw them at certain times, only saw one Medicaid patient out of each family a day, or simply put them on the back burner for months. Most caregivers did not own a car and had to rely on free transportation provided by social services, which was both unreliable and inconvenient. They were often late for appointments or couldn't make them at all.
I guess I just don't empathize - you are given free dental work - so you are expected to work around the schedule of the people that pay - why play victim - by thankful you have it no?
ahrq.gov
Hispanics in their 50s are much less likely than same-age whites or blacks to take medication to control high blood pressure
Far fewer Hispanic adults who suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension, greater than 140/90 mm Hg) use antihypertensive medications to control it than do white or black adults who have the condition. This difference is not explained by lack of insurance, lower socioeconomic status, or adverse health orientations and habits, according to the findings from a recent study by Case Western Reserve University researchers Joseph J. Sudano Jr., Ph.D., and David W. Baker, M.D., M.P.H. The study was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS10283).
The researchers used data from the 1992 U.S. Health and Retirement Study to analyze differences in self-reported antihypertensive medication use by white, Hispanic, and black adults aged 51 to 61 years with a history of hypertension. A total of 53 percent of Hispanics, 64 percent of whites, and 73 percent of blacks with high blood pressure reported taking antihypertensive medications. Adjusting for differences in demographics, socioeconomic status, insurance coverage, and health status did not significantly alter the relation between Hispanic ethnicity and lower use of antihypertensive medication.
These findings raise serious concerns that hypertension control efforts by public health and health care agencies have failed to reach this important and growing segment of the U.S. population, note the researchers. They suggest several possible reasons for less use of antihypertensive medications by Hispanics, including discrimination within medical care institutions or in medical encounters, few Hispanic health professionals and researchers, few culturally sensitive primary prevention programs targeted to Hispanics, and lack of media awareness of Hispanic health issues. The authors note that some of these same factors may also apply to black adults (e.g., potential discrimination, physician bias in treatment, underrepresentation among health professionals). Thus, it is somewhat surprising that black adults were actually more likely than Hispanic adults and white adults to report taking antihypertensive medication
Why bother with prevention for hispanics - not a cost saver according to you eh? |
