Hysterectomy prevalence by Hispanic ethnicity: evidence from a national survey.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated hysterectomy prevalence among Hispanic women.


METHODS
We obtained data from 4684 Hispanic women and 20 604 non-Hispanic White women from the 1998-1999 National Health Interview Survey. We calculated nationally representative odds ratios of previous hysterectomy, controlling for confounders.


RESULTS
Compared with non-Hispanic White women, the odds ratio for hysterectomy was 0.36 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.30, 0.44) for Hispanic women with no high school diploma, 0.57 (95% CI = 0.44, 0.74) for high school graduates, and 0.67 (95% CI = 0.42, 0.87) for college attenders. Country of origin had little influence on hysterectomy prevalence. Hysterectomy was positively associated with acculturation.


CONCLUSIONS
Hispanic women undergo fewer hysterectomies than do non-Hispanic White women. The reasons for this, as well as information on ethnicity-specific appropriateness of hysterectomy, should be explored.
Brett
Kate M
KM
Division of Epidemiology, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, Md 20782, USA. kbrett@cdc.gov
Higgins
Jenny A
JA
D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000145:classification / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016015:Logistic Models; D017533:Marital Status; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology