Sociodemographic Predictors of Outcomes in COVID-19: Examining the Impact of Ethnic Disparities in Northern Nevada

ABSTRACTBackgroundOn March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) a pandemic. Nearly five million individuals have since been diagnosed with this increasingly common and potentially lethal viral infection. Emerging evidence suggests a disproportionate burden of illness and death among minority communities. We aimed to evaluate the effect of ethnicity on outcomes among patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Northern Nevada.DesignSingle-center, retrospective observational studyMaterials and methodsThe electronic health records of 172 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were obtained from a 946-bed tertiary referral center serving Northern Nevada. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared by ethnic group (Hispanic versus non-Hispanic). Logistic regression was used to determine predictors of mortality.ResultsAmong 172 patients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 12th and May 8th, 2020, 87 (50.6%) identified as Hispanic and 81 (47.1%) as non-Hispanic. The mean age was 46.0 among Hispanics and 55.8 among non-Hispanics. Comorbidities linked to increased COVID-19-related mortality – hypertension, obesity, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – were more common among the non-Hispanic population. Hispanic individuals were significantly more likely to be uninsured and to live in low-income communities as compared to their non-Hispanic counterparts (27.6% versus 8.2% and 52.9% versus 30.6%, respectively). Hispanic patients were also less likely than non-Hispanics to have a primary care provider (42.5% versus 61.2%). However, mortality was significantly higher among the non-Hispanic population (15.3% versus 5.8%).ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected Hispanic individuals in Northern Nevada, who account for only 25.7% of the population but over half of the confirmed cases. Hispanic individuals were younger and had fewer comorbidities than their non-Hispanic counterparts; consequently, despite considerable socioeconomic disadvantage, mortality was lower among the Hispanic population. The underlying causes of ethnic disparities in COVID-19 incidence remain to be established, but further investigation may lead to more effective community- and systems-based interventions.

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Applying the risk principle to optimize accuracy and equity in correctional risk assessment: Results From a Simulation

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology ◽

10.1177/0306624x20986523 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0306624X2098652

Author(s):

Grant Duwe

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

Predictive Accuracy ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Simulated Data ◽

Risk Assessments ◽

Risk Level ◽

Risk Levels ◽

Risk Principle ◽

Changes In Risk ◽

The Impact

As the use of risk assessments for correctional populations has grown, so has concern that these instruments exacerbate existing racial and ethnic disparities. While much of the attention arising from this concern has focused on how algorithms are designed, relatively little consideration has been given to how risk assessments are used. To this end, the present study tests whether application of the risk principle would help preserve predictive accuracy while, at the same time, mitigate disparities. Using a sample of 9,529 inmates released from Minnesota prisons who had been assessed multiple times during their confinement on a fully-automated risk assessment, this study relies on both actual and simulated data to examine the impact of program assignment decisions on changes in risk level from intake to release. The findings showed that while the risk principle was used in practice to some extent, the simulated results showed that greater adherence to the risk principle would increase reductions in risk levels and minimize the disparities observed at intake. The simulated data further revealed the most favorable outcomes would be achieved by not only applying the risk principle, but also by expanding program capacity for the higher-risk inmates in order to adequately reduce their risk.

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Ethnic comparison in takotsubo syndrome: novel insights from the International Takotsubo Registry

Clinical Research in Cardiology ◽

10.1007/s00392-021-01857-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yoichi Imori ◽

Ken Kato ◽

Victoria L. Cammann ◽

Konrad A. Szawan ◽

Manfred Wischnewsky ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hospital Mortality ◽

Clinical Characteristics ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Japanese Patients ◽

Learning Approach ◽

Takotsubo Syndrome ◽

Unique Identifier ◽

Hospital Outcomes ◽

Machine Learning Approach ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Ethnic disparities have been reported in cardiovascular disease. However, ethnic disparities in takotsubo syndrome (TTS) remain elusive. This study assessed differences in clinical characteristics between Japanese and European TTS patients and determined the impact of ethnicity on in-hospital outcomes. Methods TTS patients in Japan were enrolled from 10 hospitals and TTS patients in Europe were enrolled from 32 hospitals participating in the International Takotsubo Registry. Clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcomes were compared between Japanese and European patients. Results A total of 503 Japanese and 1670 European patients were included. Japanese patients were older (72.6 ± 11.4 years vs. 68.0 ± 12.0 years; p < 0.001) and more likely to be male (18.5 vs. 8.4%; p < 0.001) than European TTS patients. Physical triggering factors were more common (45.5 vs. 32.0%; p < 0.001), and emotional triggers less common (17.5 vs. 31.5%; p < 0.001), in Japanese patients than in European patients. Japanese patients were more likely to experience cardiogenic shock during the acute phase (15.5 vs. 9.0%; p < 0.001) and had a higher in-hospital mortality (8.2 vs. 3.2%; p < 0.001). However, ethnicity itself did not appear to have an impact on in-hospital mortality. Machine learning approach revealed that the presence of physical stressors was the most important prognostic factor in both Japanese and European TTS patients. Conclusion Differences in clinical characteristics and in-hospital outcomes between Japanese and European TTS patients exist. Ethnicity does not impact the outcome in TTS patients. The worse in-hospital outcome in Japanese patients, is mainly driven by the higher prevalence of physical triggers. Trial Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique Identifier: NCT01947621.

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Reductions in US life expectancy from COVID-19 by Race and Ethnicity: Is 2021 a repetition of 2020?

10.1101/2021.10.17.21265117 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Theresa Andrasfay ◽

Noreen Goldman

Keyword(s):

Life Expectancy ◽

Race And Ethnicity ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

White Population ◽

Widespread Distribution ◽

Life Expectancy At Birth ◽

The Us ◽

The Impact ◽

Racial Ethnic ◽

Black And Latino

COVID-19 had a huge mortality impact in the US in 2020 and accounted for the majority of the 1.5-year reduction in 2020 life expectancy at birth. There were also substantial racial/ethnic disparities in the mortality impact of COVID-19 in 2020, with the Black and Latino populations experiencing reductions in life expectancy at birth over twice the reduction experienced by the White population. Despite continued vulnerability of the Black and Latino populations, the hope was that widespread distribution of effective vaccines would mitigate the overall impact and reduce racial/ethnic disparities in 2021. In this study, we use cause-deleted life table methods to estimate the impact of COVID-19 mortality on 2021 US period life expectancy. Our partial-year estimates, based on provisional COVID-19 deaths for January-early October 2021 suggest that racial/ethnic disparities have persisted and that life expectancy at birth in 2021 has already declined by 1.2 years from pre-pandemic levels. Our projected full-year estimates, based on projections of COVID-19 deaths through the end of 2021 from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, suggest a 1.8-year reduction in US life expectancy at birth from pre-pandemic levels, a steeper decline than the estimates produced for 2020. The reductions in life expectancy at birth estimated for the Black and Latino populations are 1.6-2.4 times the impact for the White population.

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Abstract TP26: Endovascular Therapy and Outcomes in a Large Biracial Cohort of Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.48.suppl_1.tp26 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Leticia C Rebello ◽

Aaron Anderson ◽

Diogo C Haussen ◽

Samir R Belagaje ◽

Jonathan A Grossberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽

Endovascular Therapy ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Stroke Outcomes ◽

Good Outcome ◽

Caucasian Patients ◽

Baseline Characteristics ◽

The Impact

Background: The ethnic disparities in stroke outcomes have been well described. Stroke is twice more common and leads to higher mortality rates among blacks as compared to whites. We compared the outcomes of patients undergoing endovascular stroke therapy (ET) in a high-volume center according to their racial profile after age adjustment. Methods: Retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected ET database between September/2010-September/2015. The baseline characteristics of African-American vs. Caucasian patients were compared. Given the impact of age on stroke outcomes additional analyses were performed dichotomizing patients using the median age of the overall cohort. Primary and secondary efficacy outcomes included the rates of good outcome (90-day mRS 0-2) and successful reperfusion (mTICI 2b-3), respectively. Safety outcome was accessed by rates of any parenchymal hematoma (PH-1 and PH-2) and 90-day mortality. Results: 781 patients fit the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis; 440 were included in the Caucasian group (56% overall cohort) and 341 in the African-American group (44%). Caucasian patients were significantly older (69±13 vs. 60±14 years-old, p<0.01) but the remaining baseline characteristics were otherwise well-balanced. This included similar baseline CT perfusion core volumes (rCBF<30%, 17.6 ± 20.8 vs. 17.9 ± 32.8; p=0.93). There were no differences in the rates successful reperfusion (mTICI 2b-3: 83% vs. 85%, p=0.37), any PH (8% vs. 5%, p=0.26), or final infarct volume (32 IQR 12-89 vs. 25 IQR 9-67; p=0.12) across the two groups. In the overall cohort, there was a lower proportion of 90-day good outcome (39% vs. 49%; p<0.01) and higher 90-day mortality (32% vs. 16%; p<0.01) among Caucasians presumably due to their older age. Subgroup analysis of patients 65 years-old or younger showed similar rates of 90-day good outcomes (59% vs. 53%; p=0.33) and mortality (17% vs. 12%; p=0.22) across Caucasian and African-American patients. Conclusion: Aggressive treatment of acute ischemic stroke with endovascular therapy leads to similar outcomes across African-American and Caucasian patients. Greater availability of ET may diminish the ethnic/racial disparities in stroke outcomes.

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Abstract 13150: Racial/Ethnic Disparities of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) in Texas

Circulation ◽

10.1161/circ.144.suppl_2.13150 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 144 (Suppl_2) ◽

Author(s):

Summer Chavez ◽

Ryan Huebinger ◽

Kevin Schulz ◽

Hei Kit Chan ◽

Micah Panczyk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Arrest ◽

Hospital Admission ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Mixed Effect ◽

Neurological Outcomes ◽

Random Intercept ◽

Hispanic Patients ◽

The Impact ◽

Racial Ethnic

Introduction: Prior research shows a greater disease burden, lower BCPR rates, and worse outcomes in Black and Hispanic patients after OHCA. The CDC has declared that the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected many racial and ethnic minority groups. However, the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on OHCA incidence and outcomes in different races and ethnicities is unknown. Purpose: To describe racial/ethnic disparities in OHCA incidence, processes of care and outcomes in Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We used data from the Texas Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES) comparing adult OHCA from the pre-pandemic period (March 11 - December 31, 2019) to the pandemic period (March 11- December 31, 2020). The racial and ethnic categories were White, Black, Hispanic or Other. Outcomes were rates of BCPR, AED use, sustained ROSC, prehospital termination of resuscitation (TOR), survival to hospital admission, survival to discharge and good neurological outcomes. We fit a mixed effect logistic regression model, with EMS agency designated as the random intercept to obtain aORs. We adjusted for the pandemic and other covariates. Results: A total of 8,070 OHCAs were included. The proportion of cardiac arrests increased for Blacks (903 to 1, 113, 24.9% to 25.5%) and Hispanics (935 to 1,221, 25.8% to 27.5%) and decreased for Whites (1 595 to 1,869, 44.0% to 42.1%) and Other (194 to 220, 5.4% to 5.0%) patients. Compared to Whites, Black (aOR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.65-0.82) and Hispanic patients (aOR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.68-0.87) were less likely to receive BCPR. Compared to Whites, Blacks were less likely to have sustained ROSC (aOR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.70-0.93%), with lower rates of survival to hospital admission (aOR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.75-1.0), and worse neurological outcomes (aOR = 0.45, 95% 0.28-0.73). Hispanics were less likely to have prehospital TOR compared to Whites (aOR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.75-0.99). The Utstein bystander survival rate was worse for Blacks (aOR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.54-0.97) and Hispanics (aOR = 0.71, 95% 0.53-0.95) compared to Whites. Conclusion: Racial and ethnic disparities persisted during the COVID-19 pandemic in Texas.

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Racial and Ethnic Differences in Response to Anticoagulation: A Review of the Literature

Journal of Pharmacy Practice ◽

10.1177/0897190019894142 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 089719001989414 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Caitlin M. Gibson ◽

Wei C. Yuet

Keyword(s):

Racial Differences ◽

Race And Ethnicity ◽

Oral Anticoagulants ◽

Direct Oral Anticoagulants ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

The United States ◽

End Points ◽

Medline Search ◽

Drug Concentrations ◽

The Impact

Introduction: Anticoagulants are among the most frequently prescribed medications in the United States. Racial and ethnic disparities in incidence and outcomes of thrombotic disorders are well-documented, but differences in response to anticoagulation are incompletely understood. Objective: The objective of this review is to describe the impact of race and ethnicity on surrogate and clinical end points related to anticoagulation and discuss racial or ethnic considerations for prescribing anticoagulants. Methods: A PubMed and MEDLINE search of clinical trials published between 1950 and May 2018 was conducted using search terms related to anticoagulation, specific anticoagulant drugs, race, and ethnicity. References of identified studies were also reviewed. English-language human studies on safety or efficacy of anticoagulants reporting data for different races or ethnicities were eligible for inclusion. Results: Seventeen relevant studies were identified. The majority of major trials reviewed for inclusion either did not include representative populations or did not report on the racial breakdown of participants. Racial differences in pharmacokinetics, dosing requirements, drug response, and/or safety end points were identified for unfractionated heparin, enoxaparin, argatroban, warfarin, rivaroxaban, and edoxaban. Conclusions: Race appears to influence drug concentrations, dosing, or safety for some but not all direct oral anticoagulants. This information should be considered when selecting anticoagulant therapy for nonwhite individuals.

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Workshop: The Danish MAMAACT trial as an example for discussing evaluation methods in complex interventions

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz185.483 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

Keyword(s):

Antenatal Care ◽

Vulnerable Populations ◽

Infant Death ◽

Maternity Care ◽

Sociological Theory ◽

Immigrant Women ◽

Complex Interventions ◽

Ethnic Disparities ◽

Care Systems ◽

The Impact

Abstract Over recent years, immigration to Europe has risen significantly. This development has led to increasing birth rates by non-Western immigrant women. Maternity care systems are not yet adapted to this increased diversity of women. In Denmark, 13 % of all children are currently born by women originating from non-Western countries. Despite a publically funded antenatal care, non-Western immigrant women have lower utilization of Danish antenatal care compared to other women giving birth. Many non-Western immigrant women have an increased prevalence of severe maternal morbidity and higher risks of maternal death, stillbirth and infant death compared to the majority populations. Poor health status at birth can impair the cognitive, sensory and motor development and lead to learning disabilities during school age, and thus reduce equality in life chances. Suboptimal care is a contributing factor to these ethnic disparities. Provision of appropriate antenatal care is pivotal to reduce these serious disparities and challenges to public health, however little is known about models of care, which can overcome these barriers. The MAMAACT intervention was developed to increase response to symptoms of pregnancy complications among maternity care providers as well as non-Western immigrant women. The intervention consisted of postgraduate training of midwives in intercultural communication and health education materials (leaflet and an app) for non-Western immigrant women describing how to respond to warning signs during pregnancy in six different languages, The intervention was implemented at 10 out of 20 Danish maternity wards as part of a national trial from the year 2018 to 2019, potentially reaching 25.000 pregnant women, including 2500 of non-Western origin. This workshop shares insight into innovative ways of providing antenatal care for non-Western immigrant women and will focus on methodological aspects of scientific evaluation of complex interventions for vulnerable populations. The workshop includes an introduction, three presentations, and a discussion with the audience. Using quantitative data, the first presentation will give an overview of ethnic disparities in stillbirth and infant death in Denmark. The second presentation will present qualitative data from the implementation evaluation of the MAMAACT intervention with a focus on the interventions program theory, methodological considerations and evaluation results. Finally, the third presentation will illuminate how the concepts of Health Literacy and cultural health capital contribute to an understanding of mechanisms leading to ethnic disparities and how they can be used for evaluating the impact of the MAMAACT intervention. The final discussion will stimulate knowledge sharing between the participants on how to combine quantitative and qualitative insights in trials, how to build partnerships and recruit vulnerable populations in evaluations, and how to use sociological theory in evaluations. Key messages Reducing ethnic disparity in reproductive health requires maternity care systems to rethink their antenatal care services so they are better equipped to support non-Western immigrant women’s needs. Sharing knowledge on the use of mixed methods, recruitment of vulnerable populations, and the use of sociological theory can contribute to future approaches to evaluate complex interventions.

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