The purpose of this study was three-fold: (1) to examine the relationship between socioeconomic (SES) variables and patient-provider communication among a sample of 1671 African American women recruited through the National Black Women's Health Project; (2) to identify which SES variable(s) and/or interactions are most strongly associated with patient-provider communication; and (3) to examine whether the relationship between SES and patient-provider communication is the same across age. Participants completed a 46-item mailed survey on psychological well-being. The independent variables included household income, education, median income within zip codes of participants' residence, and age. The dependent variable was the total score on an 8-item measure of patient-provider communication used in the Commonwealth Fund Survey of Women's Health. A factor analysis confirmed that this scale has only factor, and the obtained reliability was .93. Household income was the only SES variable associated with patient-provider communication (p<.001). African American women with household incomes of $40,000 or greater a year reported significantly higher scores on patient-provider communication than African American women with household incomes between $20,000 and $39,000 and African American with household incomes of less than $20,000. There was also a significant main effect of age (p<.05). African American women who were above 60 years old reported significantly better patient-provider communication than women who were 30 years old or younger. There were no significant interactions between SES variables and age suggesting that the relationship between SES (i.e., household income) and patient-provider communication is the same across age.
Learning Objectives: To identify which socioeconomic indicator is most strongly associated with patient-provider communication among African American women; To identify whether the relationship between socioeconomic status and patient-provider relationship is similar across age among African American women
Keywords: , Health Communications
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