National Healthcare Disparities Report 2005

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Table 3.2a. Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health Care Utilization

Core Report Measure	Racial Differenceⁱ					Ethnic Differenceⁱⁱ
	Black	Asianⁱⁱⁱ	NHOPIⁱⁱⁱ	AI/AN	>1 Race	Hispanic
Dental Care
Persons with a dental visit in the past year^iv	↓	↓	=	↓	↓	↓
Emergency Care
Emergency department visits per 100 population^v	↑	↓			↑
Avoidable Admissions
Admissions for perforated appendix per 1,000 admissions with appendicitis^vi	↑	=				↑
Mental Health Care and Substance Abuse Treatment
Adults who received mental health treatment or counseling in the past year^vii	↓	↓		↓	=	↓
Persons age 12 and older who received illicit drug or alcohol abuse treatment in the past year^vii	=			↑		=

ⁱ Compared with Whites.

ⁱⁱ Compared with non-Hispanic Whites.

ⁱⁱⁱ Findings are presented separately for Asians and NHOPI whenever possible. However, some data sources collected data for Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs) as a single population; in these cases, the Asian and NHOPI cells are merged into a single cell representing APIs.

^iv Source: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2002.

^v Source: National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey – Emergency Department, 2001-2002. Missing rates preclude analysis by ethnicity.

^vi Source: HCUP SID disparities analysis file, 2002. This source categorizes race/ethnicity very differently from other sources. Race/ethnicity information is categorized as a single item: Non-Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander. These contrasts compare each group with non-Hispanic Whites.

^vii Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2003.

Key: NHOPI = Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; AI/AN = American Indian or Alaska Native.

Key to Symbols Used in Health Care Utilization Tables:

= Group and comparison group receive about same amount of health care.

↑ Group receives more health care than the comparison group.

↓ Group receives less health care than the comparison group.

Blank cell: Reliable estimate for group could not be made.

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