Perceived racial discrimination in health care: a comparison of Veterans Affairs and other patients.
OBJECTIVE
We compared rates of perceived racial discrimination in health care settings for veteran and nonveteran patients and for veterans who used the Veterans Affairs health care system and those who did not.


METHODS
Data were drawn from the 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. We used logistic regression to examine whether perceived racial discrimination in health care was associated with veteran status or use of Veterans Affairs health care, after adjusting for patient characteristics.


RESULTS
In this sample of 35,902 people, rates of perceived discrimination were equal for veterans and nonveterans (3.4% and 3.5%, respectively; crude odds ratio [OR] = 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.77, 1.28; adjusted OR = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.66, 1.28). Among veterans (n = 3420), perceived discrimination was more prevalent among patients who used Veterans Affairs facilities than among those who did not (5.4% vs 2.7%; OR = 2.08; 95% CI = 1.04, 4.18). However, this difference was not significant after adjustment for patient characteristics (OR = 1.30; 95% CI = 0.54, 3.13).


CONCLUSIONS
Perceived racial discrimination in health care was equally prevalent among veterans and nonveterans and among veterans who used the Veterans Affairs health care system and those who did not.
Hausmann
Leslie R M
LR
Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, 7180 Highland Dr (151C-H), Pittsburgh, PA 15206-1206, USA. leslie.hausmann@gmail.com
Jeong
Kwonho
K
Bost
James E
JE
Kressin
Nancy R
NR
Ibrahim
Said A
SA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011287:Prejudice; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D055815:Young Adult