In the U.S., racial and ethnic minorities have higher rates of chronic disease, obesity, and premature death than white people. Black patients in particular have among the worst health outcomes, experiencing higher rates of hypertension and stroke. And black men have the lowest life expectancy of any demographic group, living on average 4.5 fewer years than white men.
Research: Having a Black Doctor Led Black Men to Receive More-Effective Care
In the U.S., racial and ethnic minorities have higher rates of chronic disease, obesity, and premature death. Black patients in particular have among the worst health outcomes, and black men have the lowest life expectancy of any demographic group. A number of factors contribute to these health disparities, but one problem has been a lack of diversity among physicians. African Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population, but only 4% of U.S. doctors and less than 7% of U.S. medical students. A new NBER study looks at how changing this ratio might improve health outcomes. Researchers set up an experiment that randomly assigned black male patients to black or nonblack male doctors, to see whether having a doctor of their race affected patients’ decisions about preventive care. They found that black men seen by black doctors agreed to more, and more invasive, preventive services than those seen by nonblack doctors. And this effect seemed to be driven by better communication and more trust.