title: Health-Related Stereotype Threat Predicts Health Services Delays Among Blacks.
abstract: To our knowledge, no published research has developed an individual difference measure of health-related stereotype threat (HRST). We adapted existing measures of academic stereotype threat to the health domain on a sample of black college students (N= 280). The resulting health-related stereotype threat scale-24 (HRST-24) was assessed for internal consistency, construct and incremental validity, and whether it explains variance in self-reported delays among four preventive health behaviors-blood pressure and cholesterol assays, physical exams, and routine checkups. After adjusting for several control variables, the HRST-24's (full scale α = 0.96) perceived black health inferiority (18 items; α = 0.96) and perceived physician racial bias (6 items; α = 0.85) sub-scales explained unique variance in delays among two of the four behaviors including a blood cholesterol check (p< .01) and routine checkup-albeit at marginal levels (p= .063) in the case of the latter. Overall, these data provide preliminary evidence of construct and incremental validity for the HRST-24 among blacks. Recommendations for administering the scale are provided and future directions for HRST research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, 11720 Beltsville Drive, Suite 900, Calverton, MD 20705, USA.
authors.forename: Paul R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Dexter M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Jodi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dampeer-Moore
authors.forename: Katherine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Van Allen
authors.forename: Darlene R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.forename: Cecelia B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Snowden
authors.forename: Mark B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Johnson
keywords: African-Americans; Blacks; Health disparities; Health services; Health-related stereotype threat scale; Stereotype threat