National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report
Latest available findings on quality of and access to health care
Data
- Data Infographics
- Data Visualizations
- Data Tools
- Data Innovations
- All-Payer Claims Database
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
- AHRQ Quality Indicator Tools for Data Analytics
- State Snapshots
- United States Health Information Knowledgebase (USHIK)
- Data Sources Available from AHRQ
Search All Research Studies
AHRQ Research Studies Date
Topics
- Ambulatory Care and Surgery (1)
- Cancer (1)
- Cancer: Breast Cancer (1)
- Cancer: Lung Cancer (1)
- Cardiovascular Conditions (2)
- Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) (1)
- Children/Adolescents (2)
- Chronic Conditions (2)
- COVID-19 (2)
- Depression (1)
- Disabilities (2)
- Disparities (3)
- Elderly (1)
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs) (1)
- Healthcare Costs (1)
- Health Insurance (2)
- Health Promotion (1)
- (-) Health Status (12)
- Heart Disease and Health (1)
- Low-Income (1)
- Medicaid (2)
- Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) (2)
- Neurological Disorders (1)
- Newborns/Infants (1)
- Nutrition (1)
- Pain (1)
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (1)
- Policy (1)
- Practice Patterns (1)
- Primary Care (1)
- Racial and Ethnic Minorities (2)
- Risk (1)
- Social Determinants of Health (3)
- Stress (1)
- Women (1)
AHRQ Research Studies
Sign up: AHRQ Research Studies Email updates
Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 12 of 12 Research Studies DisplayedTucher Keeney, T Cohen, AJ
Conceptualizing food insecurity among older adults: development of a summary indicator in the National Health and Aging Trends Study.
Measurement of food insecurity in older adults is focused on financial barriers to food access. Given that older adults are particularly susceptible to additional access-related barriers including functional limitations and lack of social support, the objective of this study was to construct a summary indicator of food insecurity incorporating these domains. The investigators concluded that food insecurity among older adults is broader than lacking adequate financial resources to obtain food; it is also associated with social and functional limitations.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Tucher Keeney, T Cohen, AJ .
Conceptualizing food insecurity among older adults: development of a summary indicator in the National Health and Aging Trends Study.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2021 Nov 15;76(10):2063-72. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbaa147..
Keywords: Elderly, Nutrition, Health Status
Linton SL, Leifheit KM, McGinty EE
Association between housing insecurity, psychological distress, and self-rated health among US adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This research letter describes a survey study conducted to examine the association between housing insecurity and health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data used was from wave 3 of the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Civic Life and Public Health Survey, which was conducted online from November 11-30, 2020 using the National Opinion Research Center’s AmeriSpeak panel. The survey included 1218 participants who were 51% female, 560 participants aged 30 to 54 years, 549 participants aged 55 years or older; 13% self-identified as Hispanic, 13% self-identified as non-Hispanic Black, and 69% self-identified as non-Hispanic White. In November 2020, 128 participants (12%) reported housing insecurity. Among survey participants reporting housing insecurity, 42 reported being behind on housing payments, 55 reported having little to no confidence in their ability to make their next housing payment, and 31 reported both. Renters had disproportionately higher housing insecurity than homeowners, as did those were non-Hispanic Black race, were aged 30 to 54 years, earned less than $35,000 in 2019, lived with children, or resided in metropolitan counties. Forty-six percent of participants reported severe to moderate psychological distress and 18% reported fair to poor health. Participants with housing insecurity reported higher distress (57% vs 45%) and lower self-rated health (30% vs 16%). The association between housing insecurity and lower self-rated health was found to be statistically significant, while the association between housing insecurity and higher distress was not.
AHRQ-funded; HS000046.
Citation: Linton SL, Leifheit KM, McGinty EE .
Association between housing insecurity, psychological distress, and self-rated health among US adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JAMA Netw Open 2021 Sep;4(9):e2127772. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.27772..
Keywords: COVID-19, Health Status, Stress, Social Determinants of Health
Moza R, Truong DT, Lambert LM
Poor weight recovery between stage 1 palliation and hospital discharge for infants with single ventricle physiology: an analysis of the NPC-QIC Phase II dataset.
The purpose of this study was to investigate change in weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ) and risk factors for impaired weight gain between stage 1 palliation (S1P) for single ventricle physiology and discharge. Data from the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative Phase II database was analysed. Findings showed that nearly all infants lost weight after S1P, with little recovery by hospital discharge. At discharge, three-quarters of the infants were at-risk for impaired weight gain or had failure to thrive. Most risk factors associated with change in WAZ were unmodifiable or surrogates of disease severity.
AHRQ-funded; HS021114.
Citation: Moza R, Truong DT, Lambert LM .
Poor weight recovery between stage 1 palliation and hospital discharge for infants with single ventricle physiology: an analysis of the NPC-QIC Phase II dataset.
J Pediatr 2021 Jul;234:20-26.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.03.035..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs), Heart Disease and Health, Cardiovascular Conditions, Health Status, Risk
Fraiman YS, Litt JS, Davis JM
Racial and ethnic disparities in adult COVID-19 and the future impact on child health.
This article discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children who are racial and ethnic minorities and the disproportionate harm to them. The authors urge that COVID-19-focused research consider racial and ethnic disparity. The paper discusses the lasting and intergenerational impact of COVID-19 on communities of color, especially children, due to increase in stress, material hardship, food insecurity, and long-term school readiness.
AHRQ-funded; HS000063.
Citation: Fraiman YS, Litt JS, Davis JM .
Racial and ethnic disparities in adult COVID-19 and the future impact on child health.
Pediatr Res 2021 Apr;89(5):1052-54. doi: 10.1038/s41390-021-01377-x..
Keywords: COVID-19, Children/Adolescents, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Disparities, Health Status, Social Determinants of Health
Thomson J, Hall M, Nelson K
Timing of co-occurring chronic conditions in children with neurologic impairment.
Children with neurologic impairment (NI) are at risk for developing co-occurring chronic conditions, increasing their medical complexity and morbidity. In this study, the authors assessed the prevalence and timing of onset for those conditions in children with NI. They concluded that children with NI enrolled in Medicaid had substantial multimorbidity that developed early in life.
AHRQ-funded; HS025138.
Citation: Thomson J, Hall M, Nelson K .
Timing of co-occurring chronic conditions in children with neurologic impairment.
Pediatrics 2021 Feb;147(2):e2020009217. doi: 10.1542/peds.2020-009217..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Neurological Disorders, Chronic Conditions, Medicaid, Health Status
Diaz OV, Guendelman S, Kuppermann M
Subjective social status and depression symptoms: a prospective study of women with noncancerous pelvic problems.
The investigators sought to examine the effect of community and national subjective social status (SSS) on symptoms of depression in a racially/ethnically diverse sample of adult women with noncancerous uterine conditions. They found that low perceived community social status is predictive of symptoms suggestive of major or other depressive disorder among women with noncancerous uterine conditions.
AHRQ-funded; HS011657.
Citation: Diaz OV, Guendelman S, Kuppermann M .
Subjective social status and depression symptoms: a prospective study of women with noncancerous pelvic problems.
Womens Health Issues 2014 Nov-Dec;24(6):649-55. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2014.07.003.
.
.
Keywords: Depression, Health Status, Pain, Social Determinants of Health, Women
Burke JF, Vijan S, Chekan LA
Targeting high-risk employees may reduce cardiovascular racial disparities.
A possible remedy for health disparities is for employers to promote cardiovascular health among minority employees. However, this study finds that there was no significant per person differential attributable to racial disparities for heart attack and stroke. A primary implication is that targeting cardiovascular disease strategies for African Americans is unlikely to be cost saving for employers.
AHRQ-funded; HS017690
Citation: Burke JF, Vijan S, Chekan LA .
Targeting high-risk employees may reduce cardiovascular racial disparities.
Am J Manag Care. 2014 Sep;20(9):725-33..
Keywords: Cardiovascular Conditions, Disparities, Healthcare Costs, Health Promotion, Health Status, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Davidoff AJ, Gardner LD, Zuckerman IH
AHRQ Author: Davidoff AJ
Validation of disability status, a claims-based measure of functional status for cancer treatment and outcomes studies.
The researchers implemented and validated a disability status (DS) measure in 4 cohorts of cancer patients. They found that the DS measure is a significant independent predictor of cancer-directed treatment, but unobserved factors continue to play a role in determining treatments.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Davidoff AJ, Gardner LD, Zuckerman IH .
Validation of disability status, a claims-based measure of functional status for cancer treatment and outcomes studies.
Med Care 2014 Jun;52(6):500-10. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000000122.
.
.
Keywords: Cancer, Cancer: Breast Cancer, Disabilities, Health Status, Cancer: Lung Cancer
McGuire TG, Newhouse JP, Normand SL
AHRQ Author: Zuvekas S
Assessing incentives for service-level selection in private health insurance exchanges.
The authors used MEPS data to measure plan incentives by constructing predictive ratios and by measuring incentives based on the predictability and predictiveness of various medical diagnoses. They found that, among the chronic diseases studied, plans have the greatest incentive to skimp on care for cancer, mental health, and substance abuse.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: McGuire TG, Newhouse JP, Normand SL .
Assessing incentives for service-level selection in private health insurance exchanges.
J Health Econ 2014 May;35:47-63. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2014.01.009.
.
.
Keywords: Chronic Conditions, Health Insurance, Health Status, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
Hill SC, Abdus S, Hudson JL
AHRQ Author: Hill SC, Hudson JL, Selden TM
Adults in the income range for the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion are healthier than pre-ACA enrollees.
The investigators used MEPS data to compare nondisabled adults enrolled in Medicaid prior to the ACA with two other groups: adults who were eligible for Medicaid but not enrolled in it, and adults who were in the income range for the ACA's Medicaid expansion and thus newly eligible for coverage. They found that both the newly eligible and those eligible before the ACA but not enrolled were healthier on several measures than pre-ACA enrollees. They concluded that by expanding Medicaid eligibility, states could provide coverage to millions of healthier adults as well as to millions who have chronic conditions and who need care.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Hill SC, Abdus S, Hudson JL .
Adults in the income range for the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion are healthier than pre-ACA enrollees.
Health Aff 2014 Apr;33(4):691-9. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2013.0743.
.
.
Keywords: Health Insurance, Policy, Health Status, Low-Income, Medicaid, Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
Rowland M, Peterson-Besse J, Dobbertin K
Health outcome disparities among subgroups of people with disabilities: a scoping review.
The authors described recent research activity that has examined health outcome disparities within populations of people with disabilities. They found that the health outcomes most frequently examined were diabetes and heart disease, and the most frequently examined disparity factors were the type of disabling condition and gender. Identifying that there are significant gaps in available research, they concluded that building a body of research that identifies disparities and potentially vulnerable subgroups may improve understanding of the causes of disparities and contribute to efforts to improve quality of life and health outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
AHRQ-funded.
Citation: Rowland M, Peterson-Besse J, Dobbertin K .
Health outcome disparities among subgroups of people with disabilities: a scoping review.
Disabil Health J 2014 Apr;7(2):136-50. doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2013.09.003.
.
.
Keywords: Disabilities, Disparities, Health Status, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
James KA, Fernald DH, Huff J
AHRQ Author: Ricciardi R
GAPS in implementing health assessments in primary care: a literature review.
The authors conducted a systematic review of literature about health assessments in ambulatory and primary care. They found that training and standardization of practice workflows improves implementation of health assessments, but gaps remain on identification and selection of health assessments, integration with electronic health records, and optimal intervals of health assessments administration.
AHRQ-authored; AHRQ-funded; 29020071008.
Citation: James KA, Fernald DH, Huff J .
GAPS in implementing health assessments in primary care: a literature review.
J Ambul Care Manage 2014 Jan-Mar;37(1):2-10. doi: 10.1097/jac.0000000000000000.
.
.
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Status, Ambulatory Care and Surgery, Primary Care, Practice Patterns