Clinicians & Providers

• Asthma Care Quality for Children with Minority-serving Providers
• Erectile Dysfunction, Diagnosis and Treatment: Evidence Report
• Hispanic Diabetes Disparities Learning Network in Community Health Centers
• Improving Access to Language Services in Health Care
• Localized Prostate Cancer Surveillance: Evidence Report
• Minority Health
• Race, Place, and Obesity: the Complex Relationships among Community Racial/Ethnic Composition, Individual Race/Ethnicity, and Obesity in the United States
• Setting the Agenda for Research on Cultural Competence in Health Care
• Strategies for Improving Minority Healthcare Quality

Hospital & Health System Resources

• Improving Patient Safety Systems for Patients With Limited English Proficiency
• Minority Health

Policymaker Resources

• Hispanic Diabetes Disparities Learning Network in Community Health Centers
• Improving Access and Quality
• Minority Health
• Race, Place, and Obesity: the Complex Relationships among Community Racial/Ethnic Composition, Individual Race/Ethnicity, and Obesity in the United States

Fact Sheets

April 30 2013 20130430

AHRQ Research and Other Activities Relevant to American Indians and Alaska Natives

April 1 2013 20130401

Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care

December 1 2012 20121201

Improving Access to Language Services in Health Care

September 1 2012 20120901

AHRQ Resources for Research

September 1 2012 20120901

AHRQ-Funded Research on Health Care for Asian Americans/Pacific Islands

September 1 2012 20120901

Excellence Centers to Eliminate Ethnic/Racial Disparities (EXCEED)

September 1 2012 20120901

Health Care for Minority Women

September 1 2012 20120901

Minority Health (continued, 2)

September 1 2012 20120901

Minority Health: Recent Findings

September 1 2012 20120901

Setting the Agenda for Research on Cultural Competence in Health Care

July 1 2003 20030701

Improving Access and Quality

Full Research Reports

March 1 2008 20080301

Hispanic Diabetes Disparities Learning Network in Community Health Centers

Other Research & Data

• Among patients with diabetes, racial/ethnic discrimination by health care providers is uncommon
• Black Medicare patients less likely than whites to follow their doctor's instructions on taking medicines
• Black mothers skeptical of relationship between infant sleep position and SIDS
• Black physicians are less likely to have implicit preferences for blacks or whites
• Communications between patients with HIV and their providers differ along racial and substance use lines
• Deaf patients who use American Sign Language receive more preventive care if their clinician also uses sign language
• Different attitudes among blacks and whites affect their preference for same-race physicians
• Erectile Dysfunction, Diagnosis and Treatment: Evidence Report
• Hispanics with HIV have different communication styles with their health care providers than whites
• Inner-city minority adults with chronic asthma are more likely to take inhaled medicine if they believe in its benefits
• Korean Americans with high blood pressure who are confident they can achieve blood pressure control are more likely to do so
• Language barriers related to increased hospital readmissions for Chinese- and Spanish-speaking patients
• Localized Prostate Cancer Surveillance: Evidence Report
• Low health literacy linked to higher risk of death and more emergency room visits and hospitalizations
• Lower socioeconomic status in childhood linked to racial differences in disability during adulthood
• Men and blacks less likely to be aware of cancer screening benefits
• Minority Health
• Most Mexican patients prefer their rheumatologist to make treatment decisions for them
• Neighborhood demographics play a role in access to health care for immigrant and U.S.-born Mexican Americans
• New AHRQ campaign encourages Hispanics to work with their doctors to make the best treatment decisions
• Race, Place, and Obesity: the Complex Relationships among Community Racial/Ethnic Composition, Individual Race/Ethnicity, and Obesity in the United States
• Racial and ethnic minority groups are less aware than whites of genetic testing for cancer risk
• Regular home blood pressure measurement raises the likelihood of blood pressure control among Korean Americans
• Studies examine black mothers' choices for infant sleep position and location
• Telephone counseling helps Korean Americans who speak little English improve hypertension management
• Tough questions get answers through health IT
• Treatment by physicians with same race and language as the patient may improve medication adherence
• U.S.-born Mexican women who have adopted U.S. culture may be more at risk for cervical cancer
• Web videonovela series helps Spanish-speaking patients compare treatments for diabetes
• Women's lack of knowledge and mistrust play a role in underuse of breast cancer adjuvant therapy

Press Releases

April 20 2012 20120420

Disparities Report Highlights Health Care Challenges For Racial and Ethnic Minorities

News & Numbers

September 29 2010 20100929

Prostate Cancer Deaths Drop, But Blacks Still Most Likely To Die

June 16 2010 20100616

Men Shy Away from Routine Medical Appointments

Other News & Events

• AHRQ reviews evidence on multigene panels for prostate cancer risk assessment
• AHRQ, Ad Council launch Conozca las preguntas campaign
• Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care
• Advantage of high survival rates among low-weight black infants has waned over time
• Americans, especially blacks, spend substantial periods of time uninsured
• Among patients with diabetes, racial/ethnic discrimination by health care providers is uncommon
• Annual quality and disparities reports include data on health care-associated infections, obesity, and health insurance
• Antipsychotic choices in nursing homes partly influenced by nursing home’s prescribing culture
• Asthma project helps resident physicians improve care for minority patients
• Being foreign-born affects access to care
• Benefits of active surveillance therapy for localized prostate cancer not yet demonstrated
• Black Medicare patients less likely than whites to follow their doctor's instructions on taking medicines
• Black and Hispanic Medicare patients with hip fracture wait longer for surgery than white patients
• Black children are more likely to be hospitalized for a ruptured appendix than white children
• Black male prisoners in North Carolina have considerably lower mortality rates than black residents of that State
• Black mothers skeptical of relationship between infant sleep position and SIDS
• Black patients are negatively affected by clinicians' attitudes about race
• Black physicians are less likely to have implicit preferences for blacks or whites
• Blacks and patients at hospitals with a high percentage of black patients more likely to suffer adverse events
• Blacks express more concerns about telemedicine than Hispanics
• Blacks have higher rates of pituitary adenoma
• Blacks have longer PSA screening intervals than whites
• Blacks have worse colorectal cancer survival rates than whites
• Blacks hospitalized for high blood pressure five times more often than
• Blacks less likely than whites to use either statins or aspirin in the prevention of cardiovascular disease
• Blacks treated at community health centers are less likely than Hispanics or whites to have controlled blood pressure
• Blacks with lung cancer have higher mortality rates than whites
• Co-occurring mental disorders such as PTSD and panic disorder prompt the depressed to seek earlier treatment
• Communications between patients with HIV and their providers differ along racial and substance use lines
• Community health center collaboratives improve care quality but have little impact on disparities
• Community hubs ensure better care for the most vulnerable
• Consider local health care systems when designing services for the uninsured
• Creating networks to provide social support for the homeless may improve health outcomes
• Criminal justice system may create and aggravate health disparities among minorities
• Deaf patients who use American Sign Language receive more preventive care if their clinician also uses sign language
• Deaths from hospital complications drop, disparities remain
• Demographic and health factors influence the type of prostate cancer screening received by men over age 40
• Despite more widespread prescribing of antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection, disparities remain
• Diabetes testing plummets among poor, minority, and inner-city adults
• Different attitudes among blacks and whites affect their preference for same-race physicians
• Disadvantages in housing, food, and health care all predict health declines in older Americans
• Disparities Report highlights health care challenges for minorities, underscores importance of Affordable Care Act
• Disparities widen in the use of asthma medications
• Effectiveness of active surveillance for men with localized prostate cancer is unclear
• Elderly blacks less likely than elderly whites to receive a depression diagnosis or treatment
• Elderly colon cancer patients receiving chemotherapy after surgery are at risk for various toxicities
• Enrollment in Medicare Advantage managed care plans reduces racial/ethnic disparities in primary care quality in some States
• Even with universal health insurance, the homeless in Canada encounter barriers to obtaining health care
• Expert workshop discusses disparities in health care quality and role of health IT in underresourced settings
• Factors linked to racial or ethnic disparities in U.S. fetal death rates differ among groups
• Foreign-born patients are more likely to have a form of tuberculosis that resists a common drug used in treatment
• Gender trumps religiosity in older Mexican Americans' views on physician-assisted suicide
• Geographic information system reveals primary care needs of Hispanics
• Hard-of-hearing individuals more likely to report difficulties in accessing care
• Having a usual source of care as well as insurance reduces unmet health needs
• Health Care Quality Gaps and Disparities Persist in Every State
• Health care quality still improving slowly, but disparities and gaps in access to care persist
• Heart disease, cancer, and trauma-related disorders among the most costly conditions for men
• Hispanics with HIV have different communication styles with their health care providers than whites
• Homeless recent immigrants are healthier than other homeless individuals
• Hospital readmissions for COPD highest among black patients
• Hospitalization rates have declined over 5 years for patients with HIV infection, but disparities still exist
• Immigrant labor negatively affects natives' health insurance coverage
• Immigrants to the United States and Canada have worse access to care than native-born counterparts
• Increased child hospitalizations are associated with the mother's mental state and confidence in parenting
• Increasing the number of coronary angiography facilities led to a reduction in racial disparities in New Jersey
• Inner-city minority adults with chronic asthma are more likely to take inhaled medicine if they believe in its benefits
• Knee replacements up dramatically among adults 45 to 64 years old
• Korean Americans with high blood pressure who are confident they can achieve blood pressure control are more likely to do so
• Language barriers related to increased hospital readmissions for Chinese- and Spanish-speaking patients
• Low health literacy linked to higher risk of death and more emergency room visits and hospitalizations
• Lower flu vaccination rates for black nursing home residents a cause for concern
• Lower socioeconomic status in childhood linked to racial differences in disability during adulthood
• Majority of conditions treated in emergency departments are treatable in primary care clinics
• Many black parents believe soft bedding will keep their infants safe from sudden infant death syndrome
• Many minority patients do not receive or complete colorectal cancer screening tests in urban, primary care settings
• Medicare, Medicaid, and uninsured patients less likely to receive drug-eluting stents than the privately insured
• Medicare-insured patients with head or neck cancer differ little in mortality risk because of race or ethnicity
• Men and blacks less likely to be aware of cancer screening benefits
• Men more likely to be readmitted to hospital after discharge
• Men shy away from routine medical appointments
• Minority Health
• Minority patients are less likely to have surgery performed by high-volume surgeons and hospitals
• Minority patients with nonsmall-cell lung cancer are less likely to receive hospice services than whites
• Minority pediatricians are more likely to care for minority children
• Minority status has no effect on patient outcomes in the intensive care unit
• Minority-serving hospitals have problems with quality of care and patient satisfaction
• Modeling inequalities helps to develop cervical cancer screening strategies that can improve outcomes and reduce disparities
• More stress means worse asthma in inner-city adults
• Most Mexican patients prefer their rheumatologist to make treatment decisions for them
• Nearly two-thirds of mothers with depression do not receive adequate care for their condition
• Neighborhood demographics play a role in access to health care for immigrant and U.S.-born Mexican Americans
• New AHRQ campaign encourages Hispanics to work with their doctors to make the best treatment decisions
• New Web Videonovela Series Helps Spanish-Speaking Patients Compare Treatments for Diabetes
• New tools help improve patient safety for those with limited English
• Obesity among South Carolina children differs by age, gender, and race
• Occupational back injuries lead to increased financial and domestic hardship for black and young workers
• Older black women with breast cancer do not receive beneficial chemotherapy as often as white women
• One in four U.S. adults reported having high blood pressure in 2008
• One-fifth of the U.S. population has no doctor or other usual source of medical care
• Only one-third of adolescents are screened for emotional health during routine physicals
• Patient gender does not influence the management or diagnosis of acute abdominal pain in the elderly, but affects outcome
• Patients recovering in the hospital from total knee or hip replacement have increased risk of falls
• Patients with sickle cell disease employ various strategies to control their pain
• Perceived lower social standing linked to unplanned pregnancies
• Perception of racial discrimination among blacks linked to socioeconomic position
• Physician recommendations for defibrillator therapy not influenced by race or gender
• Physicians' implicit racial attitudes influence prescribing of opioids for black children
• Poorer patients less likely to receive specific treatment for head and neck cancer
• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with elevated hemoglobin A1c levels in low-income blacks with diabetes
• Poverty, race, and gender are all factors in the epidemic of severely obese children
• Prostate cancer deaths drop, but blacks still most likely to die
• Race/ethnic origin of mother and father influence whether the mother develops gestational diabetes
• Racial and ethnic minority groups are less aware than whites of genetic testing for cancer risk
• Radionovela promotes awareness and knowledge of cervical cancer vaccine among Hispanic parents
• Rate of extrapulmonary TB highest among blacks
• Regional poverty boosts adults' chances of having unmet health care needs
• Regular home blood pressure measurement raises the likelihood of blood pressure control among Korean Americans
• Report Finds Off-Label Use of Atypical Antipsychotic Drugs Not Supported By Evidence for Some Conditions
• Requiring proof of citizenship cuts participation in Oregon's Medicaid family planning program
• Retention in HIV care is a problem for many patients
• Rotavirus was culprit in one-fourth of children's diarrhea-related emergency department visits prior to vaccine
• Sex-related health differences associated with income and marital status
• Six in 10 obese adults have joint pain
• Socioeconomically disadvantaged blacks have the worst long-term outcomes from work-related low back pain
• Studies examine black mothers' choices for infant sleep position and location
• Studies examine possible disparities surrounding implantable cardioverter defibrillators
• Study identifies attributes of surgeons more willing to provide charity care
• Study identifies demographic and clinical factors related to fractures among older Americans
• Study reveals high rates of rehospitalizations and emergency pain treatment for sickle cell disease
• Telephone counseling helps Korean Americans who speak little English improve hypertension management
• Tool assesses the readiness of black churches to engage in health disparities research
• Tough questions get answers through health IT
• Treatment by physicians with same race and language as the patient may improve medication adherence
• U.S.-born Mexican women who have adopted U.S. culture may be more at risk for cervical cancer
• Uninsured and Medicaid-insured emergency department patients are more likely to accept the screening than commercially insured patients
• Use of physical restraint in nursing homes cut by half in 8 years
• Veterans who use pharmacy services at VA facilities tend to be sicker, poorer, and have no alternative insurance
• Videonovela for Hispanics on managing diabetes uses family drama to educate patients and families
• Vulnerable populations with heart failure less likely to receive early physician followup after discharge
• Watching patient stories on DVDs improves blood pressure control among blacks
• Web videonovela series helps Spanish-speaking patients compare treatments for diabetes
• Women in jail are at increased risk of cervical cancer
• Women's lack of knowledge and mistrust play a role in underuse of breast cancer adjuvant therapy
• Youths initially diagnosed with ADHD receive an array of medications