Geographic Regional Variation in Patterns of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Late-Life Depression

Abstract There is evidence of racial/ethnic disparities in late-life depression (LLD) burden and treatment in the US. Geographic region may be a novel social determinant; yet, limited data exist regarding the interplay of geographic region with racial/ethnic differences in LLD severity, item-level symptom burden and treatment. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 25,503 men aged 50+ years and women aged 55+ years in VITAL-DEP (VITamin D and OmegA-3 TriaL-Depression Endpoint Prevention), an ancillary study to the VITAL trial. Racial/ethnic groups included Non-Hispanic White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and other groups (Native American/Alaskan Native and other/multiple/unspecified-race/ethnicity). We assessed depression status using: the Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8); self-reported clinician/physician diagnosis of depression; medication and/or counseling treatment for depression. In the full sample, Midwest region was significantly associated with 12% lower severity of LLD, compared to Northeast region (rate ratio (RR) (95% confidence interval (CI)): 0.88 (0.83-0.93)). However, racial/ethnic differences in LLD varied by region. For example, in the Midwest, Blacks and Hispanics had significantly higher depression severity compared to non-Hispanic Whites (RR (95% CI): for Black, 1.16 (1.02-1.31); for Hispanic, 2.03 (1.38-3.00)). Furthermore, in multivariable-adjusted logistic regression models, minority vs. non-Hispanic White adults had 2- to 3-fold significantly higher odds of several item-level symptoms across all regions, especially in the Midwest and Southwest. Finally, among those endorsing PHQ-8≥10, Blacks had 60-80% significantly lower odds of depression treatment, compared to non-Hispanic Whites, in all regions. In summary, we observed significant geographic variation in patterns of racial/ethnic disparities in LLD outcomes. This requires further longitudinal investigation.

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Racial and Ethnic Differences and Clinical Outcomes of COVID-19 Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department

Clinical Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/cid/ciab290 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zanthia Wiley ◽

Katie Ross-Driscoll ◽

Zhensheng Wang ◽

Laken Smothers ◽

Aneesh K Mehta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emergency Department ◽

Hospital Mortality ◽

Ethnic Differences ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Geographic Region ◽

Intensive Care Unit Care ◽

Hospital System ◽

Racial And Ethnic Differences ◽

Racial Ethnic ◽

Hispanic White

Abstract Background Since the introduction of remdesivir and dexamethasone for severe COVID-19 treatment, few large multi-hospital system US studies have described clinical characteristics and outcomes of minority COVID-19 patients who present to the emergency department (ED). Methods This cohort study from the Cerner Real World Database (87 US health systems) from December 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020 included PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients who self-identified as non-Hispanic Black (Black), Hispanic White (Hispanic), or non-Hispanic White (White). The main outcome was hospitalization among ED patients. Secondary outcomes included mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit care, and in-hospital mortality. Descriptive statistics and Poisson regression compared sociodemographics, comorbidities, receipt of remdesivir, receipt of dexamethasone, and outcomes by racial/ethnic groups and geographic region. Results 94,683 COVID-19 patients presented to the ED. Blacks comprised 26.7% and Hispanics 33.6%. Nearly half (45.1%) of ED patients presented to hospitals in the South. 31.4% (n=29,687) were hospitalized. Lower proportions of Blacks were prescribed dexamethasone (29.4%; n=7,426) compared to Hispanics (40.9%; n=13,021) and Whites (37.5%; n=14,088). Hospitalization risks, compared to Whites, were similar in Blacks (Risk Ratio (RR)=0.94; 95% CI:0.82, 1.08; p=0.4)) and Hispanics RR=0.99 (95% CI:0.81, 1.21; p=0.91), but risk of in-hospital mortality was higher in Blacks, RR=1.18 (95% CI:1.06, 1.31; p=0.002) and Hispanics, RR=1.28 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.44; p < 0.001). Conclusions Minority patients were overrepresented among COVID-19 ED patients, and while they had similar risks of hospitalization as Whites, in-hospital mortality risk was higher. Interventions targeting upstream social determinants of health are needed to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19.

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Geographic region, racial/ethnic disparities and late-life depression: results from a large US cohort of older adults

American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.jagp.2021.11.010 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Chirag M. Vyas ◽

Charles F. Reynolds ◽

Macarius Donneyong ◽

David Mischoulon ◽

Grace Chang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Late Life ◽

Geographic Region ◽

Late Life Depression ◽

Racial Ethnic

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Protocol for studying racial/ethnic disparities in depression care using joint information from participant surveys and administrative claims databases: an observational cohort study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033173 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. e033173

Author(s):

Macarius Donneyong ◽

Charles Reynolds ◽

David Mischoulon ◽

Grace Chang ◽

Heike Luttmann-Gibson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

Healthcare System ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Late Life ◽

System Level ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Depression Treatment ◽

Depression Care ◽

Late Life Depression ◽

Racial Ethnic

IntroductionCurrent evidence indicates that older racial/ethnic minorities encounter disparities in depression care. Because late-life depression is common and confers major adverse health consequences, it is imperative to reduce disparities in depression care. Thus, the primary objectives of this protocol are to: (1) quantify racial/ethnic disparities in depression treatment and (2) identify and quantify the magnitude of these disparities accountable for by a multifactorial combination of patient, provider and healthcare system factors.Methods and analysisData will be derived from the Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial-Depression Endpoint Prevention (VITAL-DEP) study, a late-life depression prevention ancillary study to the VITAL trial. A total of 25 871 men and women, aged 50+ and 55+ years, respectively, were randomised in a 2×2 factorial randomised trial of heart disease and cancer prevention to receive vitamin D and/or fish oil for 5 years starting from 2011. Most participants were aged 65+ years old at randomisation. Medicare claims data for over 19 000 VITAL/VITAL-DEP participants were linked to conduct our study.The major study outcomes are depression treatment (antidepressant use and/or receipt of psychotherapy services) and adherence to medication treatment (antidepressant adherence and acceptability). The National Academy of Medicine framework for studying racial disparities was leveraged to select patient-level, provider-level and healthcare system-level variables and to address their potential roles in depression care disparities. Blinder-Oaxaca regression decomposition methods will be implemented to quantify and identify correlates of racial/ethnic disparities in depression treatment and adherence.Ethics and disseminationThis study received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from the Partners Healthcare (PHS) IRB, protocol# 2010P001881. We plan to disseminate our results through publication of manuscripts patient engagement activities, such as study newsletters regularly sent out to VITAL participants, and presentations at scientific meetings.Trial registration numberNCT01696435.

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Racial and ethnic differences in response to treatment for Marfan syndrome

Cardiology in the Young ◽

10.1017/s104795112100130x ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Rachel Ayers ◽

Michael Kelleman ◽

Glen Iannucci ◽

Courtney McCracken ◽

Matthew E. Oster

Keyword(s):

Marfan Syndrome ◽

Ethnic Differences ◽

Aortic Root ◽

Randomised Trial ◽

Z Score ◽

Treatment Groups ◽

Black Patients ◽

Aortic Root Enlargement ◽

Racial Ethnic ◽

Hispanic White

Abstract Objective: To determine whether racial/ethnic differences exist for the treatment of Marfan syndrome aortopathy. The 2014 Pediatric Heart Network randomised trial of losartan versus atenolol in Marfan syndrome paediatric and young adult patients showed no treatment differences in the rate of aortic root growth over 3 years; however, they did not examine racial/ethnic differences, and recent data suggest that angiotensin receptor blockers may have different pharmacologic effects in different racial/ethnic populations. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of public-use data from the Pediatric Heart Network randomised trial comparing the differences by race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic patients) amongst the treatment groups for the primary outcome of rate of aortic root enlargement by z score and secondary outcome of rate of change of absolute diameter of aortic root, z score and absolute diameter of ascending aorta, and blood pressure changes. Results: For aortic root enlargement by z score amongst on-Hispanic White patients, patients on losartan exhibited an annual z score change of –0.090 ± 0.016, compared to –0.146 ± 0.015 for those on atenolol (p = 0.01), favouring atenolol. For Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black patients, there was no difference in primary or secondary outcomes between treatment groups. Conclusion: Non-Hispanic White patients had a small, but statistically significantly greater decrease in aortic root z score favouring atenolol over losartan. There were no significant differences amongst Hispanic or non-Hispanic Black patients, which may be due to relatively small size numbers. These findings may have important implications for medication selection by race/ethnicity in Marfan syndrome patients, which has not previously been evaluated in studies.

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Racial-ethnic disparities in pain intensity and interference among middle-aged and older U.S. adults

The Journals of Gerontology Series A ◽

10.1093/gerona/glab207 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yulin Yang ◽

M Carrington Reid ◽

Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk ◽

Karl Pillemer

Keyword(s):

Pain Intensity ◽

Multivariate Analyses ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Pain Interference ◽

Domain Specific ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Using Data ◽

Pain Experiences ◽

Racial Ethnic ◽

Hispanic White

Abstract Background This study aims to better understand differing pain experiences across U.S. racial/ethnic subgroups by estimating racial-ethnic disparities in both pain intensity and domain-specific pain-related interference. To address this issue, we use a nationally-representative sample of non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic adults ages 50+ who report recently experiencing pain. Methods Using data from the 2010 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; N=684), we conducted a series of multivariate analyses to assess possible racial/ethnic disparities in pain intensity and seven domains of pain interference, controlling for relevant sociodemographic variables and other health problems. Results Black and Hispanic participants reported higher pain intensity than White participants after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES) and other health conditions. Both Black and Hispanic individuals reported more domain-specific pain interference in bivariate analyses. In multivariate analyses, Black (vs. White) participants reported significantly higher levels of pain interference with family-home responsibilities, occupation, sexual behavior, and daily self-care. We did not find significant Hispanic-White differences in the seven pain interference domains, nor did we find Black-White differences in three domains (recreation, social activities, and essential activities). Conclusions Our findings highlight the need for using multi-dimensional measures of pain when assessing for possible pain disparities with respect to race/ethnicity. Future studies on pain interventions should consider contextualizing the pain experience across different racial subgroups to help pain patients with diverse needs, with the ultimate goal of reducing racial/ethnic disparities in pain.

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Trends in breast cancer survival by race-ethnicity in Florida.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2021.39.15_suppl.e18556 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽

pp. e18556-e18556

Author(s):

Robert Brooks Hines ◽

Asal Johnson ◽

Eunkyung Lee ◽

Stephanie Erickson ◽

Saleh M.M. Rahman

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Cancer Death ◽

Cancer Outcomes ◽

Subdistribution Hazard ◽

Breast Cancer Death ◽

Breast Cancer Outcomes ◽

Race Ethnicity ◽

Racial Ethnic ◽

Hispanic White

e18556 Background: Considerable efforts to improve disparities in breast cancer outcomes for underserved women have occurred over the past 3 decades. This study was conducted to evaluate trends in survival, by race-ethnicity, for women diagnosed with breast cancer in Florida over a 26-year period to assess potential improvement in racial-ethnic disparities. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in Florida between 1990-2015. Data were obtained from the Florida Cancer Data System. Women in the study were categorized according to race (white/black) and Hispanic ethnicity (yes/no) as non-Hispanic white (NHW), non-Hispanic black (NHB), Hispanic white (HW), and Hispanic black (HB). Cumulative incidence estimates of 5- and 10-year breast cancer death with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained by race-ethnicity, according to diagnosis year. Subdistribution hazard models were used to obtain subdistribution hazard ratios (sHR) for the relative rate of breast cancer death accounting for competing causes. Results: Compared to NHW women, minority women were more likely to be younger, be uninsured or have Medicaid as health insurance, live in high poverty neighborhoods, have more advanced disease at diagnosis, have high grade tumors, have hormone receptor negative tumors, and receive chemotherapy as treatment. Minority women were less likely to receive surgery. Over the course of the study, breast cancer mortality decreased for all racial-ethnic groups, and racial-ethnic minorities had greater absolute and relative improvement in breast cancer survival for nearly all metrics compared to non-Hispanic white (NHW) women. However, for the most recent time period (2010-2015), black women still experienced significant survival disparities with non-Hispanic black (NHB) women having twice the rate of 5-year (sHR = 2.04: 95% CI; 1.91-2.19) and 10-year (sHR = 2.02: 95% CI; 1.89-2.16) breast cancer death. Conclusions: Despite efforts to improve disparities in breast cancer outcomes for underserved women in Florida, additional targeted approaches are needed to reduce the poorer survival in black (especially NHB) women. Our next step is to conduct a mediation analysis of the most important factors driving racial/ethnic disparities in breast cancer outcomes for women in Florida.

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Racial and Ethnic Differences in Presentation and Outcomes for Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19: Findings from the American Heart Association's COVID-19 Cardiovascular Disease Registry

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circulationaha.120.052278 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Fatima Rodriguez ◽

Nicole Solomon ◽

James A. de Lemos ◽

Sandeep R. Das ◽

David A. Morrow ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Ventilation ◽

Ethnic Differences ◽

American Heart ◽

Disease Registry ◽

Asian Patients ◽

Black Patients ◽

Hispanic Patients ◽

Race Ethnicity ◽

Racial Ethnic ◽

Hispanic White

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed longstanding racial/ethnic inequities in health risks and outcomes in the U.S.. We sought to identify racial/ethnic differences in presentation and outcomes for patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Methods: The American Heart Association COVID-19 Cardiovascular Disease Registry is a retrospective observational registry capturing consecutive patients hospitalized with COVID-19. We present data on the first 7,868 patients by race/ethnicity treated at 88 hospitals across the US between 01/17/2020 and 7/22/2020. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality; secondary outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE: death, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure) and COVID-19 cardiorespiratory ordinal severity score (worst to best: death, cardiac arrest, mechanical ventilation with mechanical circulatory support, mechanical ventilation with vasopressors/inotrope support, mechanical ventilation without hemodynamic support, and hospitalization without any of the above). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between race/ethnicity and each outcome adjusting for differences in sociodemographic, clinical, and presentation features, and accounting for clustering by hospital. Results: Among 7,868 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, 33.0% were Hispanic, 25.5% were non-Hispanic Black, 6.3% were Asian, and 35.2% were non-Hispanic White. Hispanic and Black patients were younger than non-Hispanic White and Asian patients and were more likely to be uninsured. Black patients had the highest prevalence of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. Black patients also had the highest rates of mechanical ventilation (23.2%) and renal replacement therapy (6.6%) but the lowest rates of remdesivir use (6.1%). Overall mortality was 18.4% with 53% of all deaths occurring in Black and Hispanic patients. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for mortality were 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.76-1.14) for Black patients, 0.90 (95% CI 0.73-1.11) for Hispanic patients, and 1.31 (95% CI 0.96-1.80) for Asian patients compared with non-Hispanic White patients. The median OR across hospitals was 1.99 (95% CI 1.74-2.48). Results were similar for MACE. Asian patients had the highest COVID-19 cardiorespiratory severity at presentation (adjusted OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.16-1.90). Conclusions: Although in-hospital mortality and MACE did not differ by race/ethnicity after adjustment, Black and Hispanic patients bore a greater burden of mortality and morbidity due to their disproportionate representation among COVID-19 hospitalizations.

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Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Young Adulthood and Midlife Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Late-life Cognitive Domains

Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders ◽

10.1097/wad.0000000000000436 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽

Author(s):

Rachel L. Peterson ◽

Kristen M. George ◽

Paola Gilsanz ◽

Sarah Ackley ◽

Elizabeth R. Mayeda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Cardiovascular Risk ◽

Cardiovascular Risk Factors ◽

Young Adulthood ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Late Life ◽

Cognitive Domains ◽

Racial Ethnic

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County‐Level Factors Associated With Cardiovascular Mortality by Race/Ethnicity

Journal of the American Heart Association ◽

10.1161/jaha.120.018835 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Bongeka Z. Zuma ◽

Justin T. Parizo ◽

Areli Valencia ◽

Gabriela Spencer‐Bonilla ◽

Manuel R. Blum ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Healthcare Access ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

County Level ◽

Cvd Risk Factors ◽

Cvd Risk ◽

Race Ethnicity ◽

Racial Ethnic ◽

Hispanic White ◽

Cvd Mortality

Background Persistent racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality are partially explained by healthcare access and socioeconomic, demographic, and behavioral factors. Little is known about the association between race/ethnicity‐specific CVD mortality and county‐level factors. Methods and Results Using 2017 county‐level data, we studied the association between race/ethnicity‐specific CVD age‐adjusted mortality rate (AAMR) and county‐level factors (demographics, census region, socioeconomics, CVD risk factors, and healthcare access). Univariate and multivariable linear regressions were used to estimate the association between these factors; R 2 values were used to assess the factors that accounted for the greatest variation in CVD AAMR by race/ethnicity (non‐Hispanic White, non‐Hispanic Black, and Hispanic/Latinx individuals). There were 659 740 CVD deaths among non‐Hispanic White individuals in 2698 counties; 100 475 deaths among non‐Hispanic Black individuals in 717 counties; and 49 493 deaths among Hispanic/Latinx individuals across 267 counties. Non‐Hispanic Black individuals had the highest mean CVD AAMR (320.04 deaths per 100 000 individuals), whereas Hispanic/Latinx individuals had the lowest (168.42 deaths per 100 000 individuals). The highest CVD AAMRs across all racial/ethnic groups were observed in the South. In unadjusted analyses, the greatest variation ( R 2 ) in CVD AAMR was explained by physical inactivity for non‐Hispanic White individuals (32.3%), median household income for non‐Hispanic Black individuals (24.7%), and population size for Hispanic/Latinx individuals (28.4%). In multivariable regressions using county‐level factor categories, the greatest variation in CVD AAMR was explained by CVD risk factors for non‐Hispanic White individuals (35.3%), socioeconomic factors for non‐Hispanic Black (25.8%), and demographic factors for Hispanic/Latinx individuals (34.9%). Conclusions The associations between race/ethnicity‐specific age‐adjusted CVD mortality and county‐level factors differ significantly. Interventions to reduce disparities may benefit from being designed accordingly.

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Temporal Trends in Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Sleep Duration in the United States: A National Health Interview Survey Analysis from 2004 to 2018

10.1101/2021.10.31.21265202 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

César Caraballo ◽

Shiwani Mahajan ◽

Javier Valero-Elizondo ◽

Daisy Massey ◽

Yuan Lu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sleep Duration ◽

Ethnic Differences ◽

Household Income ◽

National Health Interview Survey ◽

Temporal Trends ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Short Sleep ◽

Long Sleep ◽

Interview Survey ◽

Racial Ethnic

Importance: Minoritized racial and ethnic groups are generally more likely to experience sleep deficiencies. It is unclear how these sleep duration disparities have changed over recent years. Objective: To determine 15–year trends in the racial and ethnic differences in self–reported sleep duration among adults in the US. Design: Serial cross–sectional study. Setting: National Health Interview Survey from years 2004–2018. Participants: 429,195 non–institutionalized adults. Exposures: Self–reported race, ethnicity, household income, and sex/gender. Main Outcomes: Temporal trends and racial/ethnic differences in short– and long–sleep duration (≤6 and ≥10 hours in a 24–hour period, respectively) and racial/ethnic differences in the relationship between sleep duration and age. Results: The study sample consisted of 429,195 individuals (mean age 46.5 [SE, 0.08] years; 51.7% female) of which 5.1% identified as Asian, 11.8% as Black, 14.7% as Latino/Hispanic, and 68.5% as White. In 2004, the adjusted estimated prevalence of short–sleep duration and long–sleep duration, respectively, were 31.3% and 2.5% among Asian individuals, 35.3% and 6.4% among Black individuals, 27.0% and 4.6% among Latino/Hispanic individuals, and 27.8% and 3.5% among White individuals. Over the study period, there was a significant increase in the short sleep prevalence among Black, Latino/Hispanic, and White individuals (P≤0.02 for each), whereas prevalence of long sleep changed significantly only among Latino/Hispanic individuals (–1.4 points, P=0.01). In 2018, compared with White individuals, short sleep prevalence among Black and Latino/Hispanic individuals was higher by 10.7 points and 2.6 points, respectively (P≤0.02 each), and long sleep prevalence among Black people was significantly higher by 1.4 points (P=0.01). These racial/ethnic disparities were the greatest among women and among those with middle/high household income. Over the study period, Black individuals younger than 60 years old had the highest prevalence of short sleep compared with those of the same age; and Black individuals had a higher long–sleep duration prevalence than White individuals across all age groups. Conclusions: From 2004 to 2018, the prevalence of unrecommended sleep duration was persistently higher among Black individuals. The Black–White disparities were highest among women, individuals who had middle or high income, and among young or middle–aged adults.

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