title: Racial/ethnic differences in hormonally-active hair product use: a plausible risk factor for health disparities.
abstract: Estrogen and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that are associated with several health outcomes have been found in hair products. We evaluated the proportion, frequency, duration, and content of hair products in a racially/ethnically diverse population. We recruited n = 301 African-American, African-Caribbean, Hispanic, and white women from the New York metropolitan area. We collected data on hair oil, lotion, leave-in conditioner, root stimulator, perm, and other product use. Estrogen and EDC information was collected from commonly used hair products' labels (used by >3% of population). African-American and African-Caribbean women were more likely to use all types of hair products compared to white women (P < 0.0001). Among hair product users, frequency varied significantly by race/ethnicity, but not duration. More African-Americans (49.4%) and African-Caribbeans (26.4%) used products containing placenta or EDCs compared to whites (7.7%). African-American and African-Caribbean women were more likely to be exposed to hormonally-active chemicals in hair products.
authors.affiliation: Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02120, USA. tjames-todd@bics.bwh.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Tamarra
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: James-Todd
authors.forename: Ruby
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Senie
authors.forename: Mary Beth
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Terry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000009:adverse effects; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006203:Hair Preparations / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000633:toxicity; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009518:New York; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D004967:Estrogens; D006203:Hair Preparations