|
Julia McQuillan, an associate professor of sociology at UNL, helped lead a study that analyzed how women of different races viewed health care. Photo: Katie Steiner, NewsNetNebraska
More than 4,500 25- to 45-year-old women nationwide were surveyed for the research, which was conducted by UNL's Bureau of Sociological Research and the Survey Research Center at Penn State University. The women were asked questions about their race, ethnicity, demographics, health status and access to health care.
The study, which was published in the April edition of the health journal Family Medicine, is believed to be the first of its kind to focus on patients' perceptions of how feeling cared for by their doctors relates to race and ethnicity.
Julia McQuillan, an associate professor of sociology at UNL and director of the Bureau of Sociological Research, said the research for the study began when one of her undergraduate students approached her for help on a thesis project looking at health discrepancies among various races.
The group working on the study hypothesized that black and Hispanic women would be less likely than white and Asian women to have a regular physician. The gro up also predicted that white women would be more likely to perceive their physicians as caring.
McQuillan backed up her hypothesis, saying she had assumed that non-white women had a harder time accessing quality health care.
But after spending three years interviewing people, the group was surprised by the results.
Eighty-eight percent of black respondents said they had a regular doctor, and 83 percent said they believed their doctor cared "a lot."
In comparison, 85 percent of the white respondents had a regular doctor, and 76 percent said they felt cared for.
Eighty-four percent of the Asian women surveyed said they had a regular doctor, while just 71 percent of the Hispanic respondents said they did.
The results show that ethnic groups either differ in the expectations of health care providers or are being treated differently by health care providers. It could also show that the quality of care for non-whites may have improved the years.
McQuillan said the study also raises questions about whether these women are actually cared for by their doctor, or if they just believe they are.
"This just looked at their perception of how they thought they were being cared for," she said. "We don't know if the care was as good for all the women."
McQuillan said she is also curious now to look into how male partners affected how their female significant others perceived their doctors' care. As part of the survey, 932 male partners were interviewed.
And while she may not have the resources to do it, McQuillan said it would be interesting to break down these women's differences more, such as where exactly the black women came from, if they were born here or immigrated, and where in the country they now live.
"This raises the question of what does ‘care' mean," she said. "This is just a snapshot of what can be done. I would encourage others to explore this issue further."
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
