Dallo 2015
Year: 2014
Title: Disparities in Vaccinations and Cancer Screening Among U.S.- and Foreign-Born Arab and European American Non-Hispanic White Women
Country: United States
Age: Adult Only
Sex: Female
Population: Multiple Groups
Care Setting: Outpatient Ambulatory and Primary Care
Clinical Setting: Breast Cancer Screening
Data Level: National
Data Type: Government Survey
Data Source: National Health Interview Survey
Conclusion: No Disparities Based on Patient Race/Ethnicity
Health OutComes Reported: No
Mitigation: No
Free Text Conclusion: Controlling for age, marital status, and socioeconomic effects, foreign-born Non-Hispanic White females from Arab nations and from Europe had no differences in mammography use in comparison with U.S.-born Non-Hispanic White females.
Abstract: Background: Disparities in vaccinations and cancer screening exist when comparing foreign-born and U.S.-born women collectively and disaggregated by race and ethnicity. The purpose of this study was to estimate and compare the age-adjusted prevalence of not receiving a flu or pneumonia vaccine, clinical breast examination, mammogram or Pap smear among U.S.- and foreign-born White women by region of birth and examine associations while controlling for potential confounders. Methods: We pooled 12years of National Health Interview Survey data (n=117,893). To approximate an "Arab-American" ethnicity, we identified 15 "Arab" countries from the Middle East region that comprise the Arab Nations. Data was requested from the National Center for Health Statistics Research Data Center. We used the (2) statistic to compare descriptive statistics and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs were used for inferential statistics. Findings: Compared to U.S.-born, foreign-born Whites from the Arab Nations had higher estimates of not receiving recommended vaccinations and cancer screenings. In crude and adjusted analyses, foreign-born Arab-American women were less likely to report receiving a flu vaccine (OR,0.34; 95% CI,0.21-0.58), pneumonia vaccine (OR,0.14; 95% CI,0.06-0.32), Pap smear (OR,0.13; 95% CI,0.05-0.31), or clinical breast examination (OR,0.16; 95% CI,0.07-0.37) compared with U.S.-born White women. There were no differences for mammography. Conclusions: This national study examining uptake of flu and pneumonia vaccines and preventive cancer screenings suggests that estimates are lower for foreign-born Arab-American women compared with U.S.-born White women. Future studies should collect qualitative data that assess the cultural context surrounding prevention and screening behaviors among Arab-American women.