title: Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health and Health Care: an Assessment and Analysis of the Awareness and Perceptions of Public Health Workers Implementing a Statewide Community Transformation Grant in Texas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the awareness of public health professionals regarding racial and ethnic disparities in health in the United States of America (USA). Our study objective was to assess the awareness and perceptions of a group of public health workers in Texas regarding racial health disparities and their chief contributing causes.
  
  
  METHODS
  We surveyed public health professionals working on a statewide grant in Texas, who were participants at health disparities' training workshops. Multivariable logistic regression was employed in examining the association between the participants' characteristics and their perceptions of the social determinants of health as principal causes of health disparities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 106 respondents, of whom 38 and 35 % worked in health departments and non-profit organizations, respectively. The racial/ethnic groups with the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS and hypertension were correctly identified by 63 and 50 % of respondents, respectively, but only 17, and 32 % were knowledgeable regarding diabetes and cancer, respectively. Seventy-one percent of respondents perceived that health disparities are driven by the major axes of the social determinants of health. Exposure to information about racial/ethnic health disparities within the prior year was associated with a higher odds of perceiving that social determinants of health were causes of health disparities (OR 9.62; 95 % CI 2.77, 33.41).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among public health workers, recent exposure to information regarding health disparities may be associated with their perceptions of health disparities. Further research is needed to investigate the impact of such exposure on their long-term perception of disparities, as well as the equity of services and programs they administer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital, 16 Guion Place, New Rochelle, NY, 10801, USA. oakinbor@montefiore.org.|Formerly at the Center for Community Health, Texas Prevention Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA. oakinbor@montefiore.org.
authors.forename: Oladimeji
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Akinboro
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Research Program, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA.|Formerly at the Center for Community Health, Texas Prevention Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ottenbacher
authors.affiliation: 2M Research Services, Cedar Hill, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: 2M Research Services, Cedar Hill, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Roderick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: 2M Research Services, Cedar Hill, TX, USA.|University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: James
authors.affiliation: 2M Research Services, Cedar Hill, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Eddilisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: 2M Research Services, Cedar Hill, TX, USA.|University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Murdoch
authors.affiliation: University of North Texas Health Sciences Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Linnear
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky College of Public Health, Lexington, KY, USA.|Formerly at the Center for Community Health, Texas Prevention Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cardarelli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D005380:Financing, Government; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011634:Public Health; D064890:Social Determinants of Health; D013219:State Government; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Health care disparities; Health care personnel; Minority health; Public health practice; Public health workers; Racial health disparities