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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Laura Hoyt D'Anna, DrPH, Community Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, 241 Mira Mar Ave., Long Beach, CA 90803, 562-438-3157, ldanna@charter.net

Perceived discrimination is one type of psychosocial stressor that plays a role in explaining racial/ethnic disparities in self-reported physical and mental health. The purpose of this paper is: 1) To investigate the association between perceived discrimination in a health care setting, and racial/ethnic disparities in self-rated health status, and physical and emotional functional limitations among California adults; and 2) To assess whether discrimination effects vary by racial/ethnic group, gender or socioeconomic position (SEP). Data are drawn from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2001). CHIS 2001 consists of a random digit dial survey of adult California residents (N=55,428) interviewed between November 2000 and October 2001. The sample is comprised of Latinos (21.4%), Asian/Pacific-Islanders (7.2%), African-Americans (4.5%), American-Indian/Alaska Natives (<1%), and Non-Latino Whites (62%). Findings show that racial/ethnic and other types of discrimination negatively influence self-rated health (p=<.001). Discrimination was associated with a two-fold, and in some cases almost a three-fold odds of experiencing physical and emotional functional limitations (p=<.001). Further, these effects varied by racial/ethnic group and gender. Being of higher SEP was protective against negative self-rated health effects from racial/ethnic discrimination, but this was not true for other health outcomes. Although the measure of discrimination used in this study was limited and cannot be used to approximate other experiences of discrimination, findings indicate that even an isolated experience of discrimination has significant health impacts, and that unmeasured negative health impacts from chronic forms of discrimination must be even more harmful.

Learning Objectives:

• Quantify certain health risks associated with experiencing discrimination within a health care setting.
• Identify specific groups that are particularly susceptible to negative health effects resulting from experiences of discrimination.

Keywords: Health Disparities, Social Inequalities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No