Issues of Racism in Healthcare Research

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/449340_8

Nursing Research

from Medscape Nurses

Kendall J, Hatton D. Racism as a source of health disparity in families with children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Advances in Nursing Science. 2002;25:22-39.

Decreasing health disparities and improving health services for minority and at-risk populations is one of the goals of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Healthy People 2010 initiative. However, the racism imbedded within American society, as evident through differences in areas such as socioeconomic status, living conditions, and educational opportunity, may be inadequately addressed in both medical and nursing research. One example is the disparity in diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A behavioral problem that can significantly affect academic achievement and social conduct, ADHD is believed to affect between 3% to 6% of children and adolescents in the United States. However, prevalence rates among minority populations have not been established. One study reported that 58% of youths in the Maryland Medicaid system receiving Ritalin, the most common treatment for ADHD, were African American. However, minority children have been underrepresented in ADHD studies, and research involving primarily white children may not be generalizable to minorities. In addition, behavioral problems in African American boys are more often viewed as the result of living conditions, poor parenting, violence, or lower IQ, without exploring a condition such as ADHD as a root cause. This may contribute to lower academic achievement and more frequent involvement with the juvenile justice system for African American boys. In all aspects of healthcare research, a greater inclusion of a heterogeneous sample is needed to better identify problems and study the effectiveness of interventions.

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