Conceptualizing and categorizing race and ethnicity in health services research
Conceptualizing and categorizing race and ethnicity in health services research
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1475-6773.2005.00449.x
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发表时间：
2005-10-01
影响因子：
3.4
通讯作者：
Kelly, PA
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Ford, ME;Kelly, PA
目标.退伍军人事务部（VA）的患者群体在种族和民族方面变得越来越多样化。本文的目的是（1）记录在卫生服务研究中使用一致的种族和民族概念化和分类标准的重要性，（2）概述目前用于评估卫生服务研究中种族和民族的不同方法，以及（3）建议可纳入卫生服务研究的评估方法，以确保准确评估疾病流行率和发病率，以及适当的卫生服务使用的帐户，在不同的种族和民族背景的患者。发表的文献进行了严格的审查。主要结果。种族是一个复杂的、多层面的概念。对一些人来说，制度化的种族主义和内在化的种族主义在种族对健康结果和保健服务使用的影响中交织在一起。种族最常被用作社会政治结构，包括共同的起源，共同的语言和共同的文化传统。文化适应似乎会影响种族、健康结果和卫生服务使用之间关系的强度。需要开发改进的和一致的数据收集方法，供全国各地的VA研究人员使用。患者代表特定人群的VA研究中心可以使用一组核心人口统计学项目，以及旨在评估这些人群内种族多样性的扩展模块。改进和统一的数据收集方法可以收集到更高质量的数据，从而确定具体种族和族裔的保健服务需求。这些调查反过来又可能导致制定旨在减少或消除这些差距的干预措施。
Objectives. Veterans Affairs (VA) patient populations are becoming increasingly diverse in race and ethnicity. The purpose of this paper is to (1) document the importance of using consistent standards of conceptualizing and categorizing race and ethnicity in health services research, (2) provide an overview of different methods currently used to assess race and ethnicity in health services research, and (3) suggest assessment methods that could be incorporated into health services research to ensure accurate assessment of disease prevalence and incidence, as well as accounts of appropriate health services use, in patients with different racial and ethnic backgrounds.Design. A critical review of published literature was used.Principal Findings. Race is a complex, multidimensional construct. For some individuals, institutionalized racism and internalized racism are intertwined in the effects of race on health outcomes and health services use. Ethnicity is most commonly used as a social-political construct and includes shared origin, shared language, and shared cultural traditions. Acculturation appears to affect the strength of the relationships among ethnicity, health outcomes, and health services use.Conclusion. Improved and consistent methods of data collection need to be developed for use by VA researchers across the country. VA research sites with patients representing specific population groups could use a core set of demographic items in addition to expanded modules designed to assess the ethnic diversity within these population groups. Improved and consistent methods of data collection could result in the collection of higher-quality data, which could lead to the identification of race- and ethnic-specific health services needs. These investigations could in turn lead to the development of interventions designed to reduce or eliminate these disparities.