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
Topics
- Access to Care (2)
- Adverse Events (1)
- Children/Adolescents (1)
- COVID-19 (1)
- Critical Care (1)
- Cultural Competence (1)
- Disparities (3)
- Education: Patient and Caregiver (1)
- Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) (1)
- Healthcare Delivery (1)
- Healthcare Utilization (1)
- Health Insurance (1)
- Health Status (1)
- Hospital Discharge (1)
- Hospitalization (1)
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (1)
- Low-Income (1)
- Maternal Care (3)
- Mortality (2)
- (-) Newborns/Infants (11)
- Obesity: Weight Management (1)
- Outcomes (1)
- Pregnancy (1)
- (-) Racial and Ethnic Minorities (11)
- Risk (2)
- Social Determinants of Health (1)
- Transitions of Care (1)
- Uninsured (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 11 of 11 Research Studies DisplayedEliason EL, Agostino J, Vivier P
Infant health care disruptions by race and ethnicity, income, and insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This cross-sectional study examined the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on infant health care, and broke it down by race and ethnicity, income, and insurance type. This study used the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System COVID-19 supplement with data from 29 jurisdictions to examine infant health care disruptions due to the pandemic: 1) well visits/checkups canceled or delayed, 2) well visits/checkups changed to virtual appointments, and 3) postponed immunizations. The authors found that among 12,053 parental respondents with infants born from April to December 2020, 7.25% reported cancelations or delays in infant well visits/checkups, 5.49% reported changes to virtual infant care appointments, and 5.33% reported postponing immunizations, with significant differences by race and ethnicity, income, and insurance type. They found higher odds of canceling/delaying visits and postponing immunizations among non-Hispanic Black infants and infants whose parents were uninsured or had Medicaid-paid deliveries. The odds of switching to virtual appointments was also significantly higher among Hispanic infants and infants whose parents had Medicaid-paid deliveries.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Eliason EL, Agostino J, Vivier P .
Infant health care disruptions by race and ethnicity, income, and insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Acad Pediatr 2024 Jan-Feb; 24(1):105-10. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2023.07.005..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, COVID-19, Access to Care, Uninsured, Health Insurance, Healthcare Delivery
Karvonen KL, Anunwah E, Chambers Butcher BD
Structural racism operationalized via adverse social events in a single-center neonatal intensive care unit.
The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to assess structural racism in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) by establishing whether variations in adverse social events occur by racialized groups. The study included 3,290 infants hospitalized in a single center NICU in the Racial and Ethnic Justice in Outcomes in Neonatal Intensive Care (REJOICE) study, and researchers included demographics and adverse social events including infant urine toxicology screening, child protective services (CPS) referrals, behavioral contracts, and security emergency response calls were collected from electronic medical records. The study found that 6.2% of families experienced an adverse social event. Black families had a greater likelihood of having experienced a CPS referral and a urine toxicology screen. American Indian and Alaskan Native families also had a greater likelihood of experiencing CPS referrals and urine toxicology screens. Black families had a greater likelihood of experiencing behavioral contracts and security emergency response calls. Latinx families had a similar risk of adverse events, and Asian families were less likely to experience adverse events.
AHRQ-funded; HS028473; HS026383.
Citation: Karvonen KL, Anunwah E, Chambers Butcher BD .
Structural racism operationalized via adverse social events in a single-center neonatal intensive care unit.
J Pediatr 2023 Sep; 260:113499. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2023.113499..
Keywords: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Newborns/Infants, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Critical Care
Cheng TL, Mistry KB
AHRQ Author: Mistry KB
Clarity on disparity: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
This purpose of this article was to explain a comprehensive framework of health disparities descriptors that can offer a systematic approach to advance the understanding of causes of health disparities and facilitate action steps to ensure health equity.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: Cheng TL, Mistry KB .
Clarity on disparity: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Pediatr Clin North Am 2023 Aug; 70(4):639-50. doi: 10.1016/j.pcl.2023.03.003..
Keywords: Disparities, Social Determinants of Health, Newborns/Infants, Mortality, Health Status, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Access to Care
Wu AJ, Du N, Chen TY
Sociodemographic differences of hospitalization and associations of resource utilization for failure to thrive.
The objective of this study was to examine sociodemographic differences between elective and nonelective admissions for failure to thrive. Researchers investigated associations between admission type and hospital resource utilization, including length of stay and feeding tube placement. The study included data on children less than 2 years old with failure to thrive in the Kids' Inpatient Database. The findings showed differences by race and ethnicity, income, and insurance type, among other factors. Nonelective admissions had higher proportions of infants who were Black, Hispanic, and of lower-income, and were associated with longer lengths of stay. The researchers concluded that future research is needed to elucidate drivers of these differences, particularly those related to racial and ethnic disparities and structural racism.
AHRQ-funded; HS000063.
Citation: Wu AJ, Du N, Chen TY .
Sociodemographic differences of hospitalization and associations of resource utilization for failure to thrive.
J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2023 Mar;76(3):385-89. doi: 10.1097/mpg.0000000000003694.
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Hospitalization, Healthcare Utilization, Children/Adolescents, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Low-Income
Hunte R, Klawetter S, Paul S
"Black nurses in the home is working": advocacy, naming, and processing racism to improve Black maternal and infant health.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how Black women’s health, pregnancy and parenting are impacted by racism, and how the relationship between Black women’s health, pregnancy and parenting and racism-related stress are affected by a culturally-specific perinatal care program. The researchers conducted focus groups and utilized a Black Feminist approach to center the perspectives and lived experiences of Black women. Four themes surfaced in the analysis, including: 1) The widespread reach of structural racism, 2) Trust and healing facilitated through shared identities, 3) Racism directly impacts mental health, and 4) Advocacy at all levels is a vital service. The researchers concluded that structural racism has chronic and toxic effects on Black women’s physical and mental health, and Black perinatal care should include: culturally-specific approaches, advocacy, mental health support with specific attention to racism-related stress, and examination of implicit biases.
AHRQ-funded; HS026370.
Citation: Hunte R, Klawetter S, Paul S .
"Black nurses in the home is working": advocacy, naming, and processing racism to improve Black maternal and infant health.
Matern Child Health J 2022 Apr;26(4):933-40. doi: 10.1007/s10995-021-03283-4..
Keywords: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Women, Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Newborns/Infants, Cultural Competence
Fraiman YS, Stewart JE, Litt JS
Race, language, and neighborhood predict high-risk preterm infant follow up program participation.
This study investigated whether infants born to Black mothers, non-English speaking mothers, and mothers who live in “Very Low” Child Opportunity Index (COI) neighborhoods would have decreased odds of using the Infant Follow Up Program (IFUP) for their preterm infants after discharge from a NICU. A total of 477 infants eligible for IFUP between 2015 and June 2017 from a single large academic Level III NICU were included. Primary outcome considered was at least one visit to IFUP. Two hundred infants (41.9%) participated in IFUP, with the odds of participation lower for Black compared to white race, “Very Low” COI compared to “Very High”, and primary non-English speaking.
AHRQ-funded; HS000063.
Citation: Fraiman YS, Stewart JE, Litt JS .
Race, language, and neighborhood predict high-risk preterm infant follow up program participation.
J Perinatol 2022 Feb;42(2):217-22. doi: 10.1038/s41372-021-01188-2..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Hospital Discharge, Transitions of Care, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Murosko D, Passerella M, Lorch S
Racial segregation and intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm infants.
Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) disproportionately affects black neonates. Other conditions that are more common in black neonates, including low birth weight and preterm delivery, have been linked with residential racial segregation (RRS). In this study, the authors investigated the association between RRS and IVH. The investigators concluded that RRS was associated with an increased risk of IVH in preterm neonates, but the effect size varied by race. They indicated that this association persisted after balancing for community factors and birth weight, representing a novel risk factor for IVH.
AHRQ-funded; HS018661.
Citation: Murosko D, Passerella M, Lorch S .
Racial segregation and intraventricular hemorrhage in preterm infants.
Pediatrics 2020 Jun;145(6):e20191508. doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-1508..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Adverse Events
Rice WS, Goldfarb SS, Brisendine AE
Disparities in infant mortality by race among Hispanic and non-Hispanic infants.
This study explored possible implications of racial identification for the health of U.S. born Hispanic compared to non-Hispanic infants. It concluded that the risk of infant mortality varies among Hispanic infants by race, with poorer outcomes experienced by Hispanic black infants. Compared to non-Hispanic infants of the same race, Hispanic black infants experience a smaller health disadvantage and Hispanic white infants have better or similar infant health outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS013852.
Citation: Rice WS, Goldfarb SS, Brisendine AE .
Disparities in infant mortality by race among Hispanic and non-Hispanic infants.
Matern Child Health J 2017 Jul;21(7):1581-88. doi: 10.1007/s10995-017-2290-3.
.
.
Keywords: Disparities, Newborns/Infants, Mortality, Newborns/Infants, Racial and Ethnic Minorities
Servan-Mori E, Sosa-Rubi SG, Najera-Leon E
Timeliness, frequency and content of antenatal care: which is most important to reducing indigenous disparities in birth weight in Mexico?
The authors estimated the potential for added weight gain among indigenous infants if their mothers received timely, frequent, and complete antenatal care (ANC). They found that the frequency of ANC was positively associated with birth weight for all women but complete ANC appears to differentially affect indigenous women at the bottom of the birth weight distribution.
AHRQ-funded; HS017582.
Citation: Servan-Mori E, Sosa-Rubi SG, Najera-Leon E .
Timeliness, frequency and content of antenatal care: which is most important to reducing indigenous disparities in birth weight in Mexico?
Health Policy Plan 2016 May;31(4):444-53. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czv082.
.
.
Keywords: Disparities, Maternal Care, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Newborns/Infants, Obesity: Weight Management
Joyner BL, Oden RP, Moon RY
Reasons for pacifier use and non-use in African-Americans: does knowledge of reduced SIDS risk change parents' minds?
The authors sought to investigate African-American parental reasons for pacifier use or non-use. They recommended that providers supply information about the benefits of pacifiers and concluded that establishing for parents any plausible link between the protective mechanism of pacifiers and SIDS pathophysiology may be important in promoting pacifier use.
AHRQ-funded; HS016892.
Citation: Joyner BL, Oden RP, Moon RY .
Reasons for pacifier use and non-use in African-Americans: does knowledge of reduced SIDS risk change parents' minds?
J Immigr Minor Health 2016 Apr;18(2):402-10. doi: 10.1007/s10903-015-0206-0.
.
.
Keywords: Education: Patient and Caregiver, Newborns/Infants, Newborns/Infants, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Risk
Chang AL, Hurwitz E, Miyamura J
Maternal risk factors and perinatal outcomes among pacific islander groups in Hawaii: a retrospective cohort study using statewide hospital data.
This study compared perinatal outcomes between Pacific Islander and White women who delivered a singleton liveborn in any Hawaii hospital from January 2010 to December 2011. Significant differences in perinatal outcomes between Pacific Islander and White women and newborns were noted. All Pacific Islander groups had an increased risk of hypertension. Native Hawaiians had the highest risk of low birthweight infants.
AHRQ-funded; HS021903.
Citation: Chang AL, Hurwitz E, Miyamura J .
Maternal risk factors and perinatal outcomes among pacific islander groups in Hawaii: a retrospective cohort study using statewide hospital data.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2015 Oct 05;15:239. doi: 10.1186/s12884-015-0671-4.
.
.
Keywords: Maternal Care, Risk, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Outcomes, Newborns/Infants