title: Patient race and the likelihood of undergoing bariatric surgery among patients seeking surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ethnic minority adults have disproportionately higher rates of obesity than Caucasians but are less likely to undergo bariatric surgery. Recent data suggest that minorities might be less likely to seek surgery. Whether minorities who seek surgery are also less likely to proceed with surgery is unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  We interviewed 651 patients who sought bariatric surgery at two academic medical centers to examine whether ethnic minorities are less likely to proceed with surgery than Caucasians and whether minorities who do proceed with surgery have higher illness burden than their counterparts. We collected patient demographics and abstracted clinical data from the medical records. We then conducted multivariable analyses to examine the association between race and the likelihood of proceeding with bariatric surgery within 1 year of initial interview and to compare the illness burden by race and ethnicity among those who underwent surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of our study sample, 66% were Caucasian, 18% were African-American, and 12% were Hispanics. After adjustment for socioeconomic factors, there were no racial differences in who proceeded with bariatric surgery. Among those who proceeded with surgery, illness burden was comparable between minorities and Caucasian patients with the exception that African-Americans were underrepresented among those with reflux disease (0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.7) and depression (0.4, 0.2-0.7), and overrepresented among those with anemia (4.8, 2.4-9.6) than Caucasian patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Race and ethnicity were not independently associated with likelihood of proceeding with bariatric surgery. Minorities who proceeded with surgery did not clearly have higher illness burden than Caucasian patients.
authors.affiliation: Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition Institute, Gastrointestinal Unit and MGH Weight Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Fatima Cody
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Stanford
authors.forename: Daniel B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Benjamin E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: George L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Blackburn
authors.forename: Caroline M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Apovian
authors.forename: Donald T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chiodi
authors.forename: Shirley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Robert
authors.forename: Ashley C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Bourland
authors.forename: Christina C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D050110:Bariatric Surgery / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000601:surgery*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data