Published in:
01-10-2008 | Brief Report
Perceived Discrimination in Health Care and Use of Preventive Health Services
Published in: Journal of General Internal Medicine | Issue 10/2008
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Objective
To examine the relationship between perceived discrimination and preventive health care utilization.
Design and Participants
Cross-sectional analysis using the 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System “Reactions to Race” module (N = 28,839).
Measurements
Outcomes were self-reported utilization of seven preventive health services. Predictors included perceived negative and positive racial discrimination (vs. none) while seeking health care in the past year. Multivariable models adjusted for additional patient characteristics.
Main Results
In unadjusted models, negative discrimination was significantly associated with less utilization of mammogram, pap test, PSA test, blood stool test, and sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy (ORs = 0.53–0.73, p < .05), but not flu or pneumococcal vaccines (ORs = 0.76 and 0.84). Positive discrimination was significantly associated with more utilization of all services (ORs = 1.29–1.58, p < .05) except pap test (OR = 0.94). In adjusted models, neither negative nor positive discrimination was predictive of utilization, except for PSA test (positive discrimination OR = 1.33, p < .05).
Conclusions
Perceived racial discrimination in health care does not independently predict preventive health care utilization.