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A Health Profile of Arab Americans in Michigan: A Novel Approach to Using a Hospital Administrative Database

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Abstract

The objectives of this study were to estimate and compare the prevalence of heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, nephrosis, flu/pneumonia, hypertension, and atherosclerosis between Arab Americans and whites attending a large, metropolitan hospital system. The sample included 68,047 patients, 18 years of age or older, who visited the hospital during 2012. Demographic and disease variables were electronically abstracted. Demographic characteristics were compared between Arab Americans and whites using Chi square tests. Sex specific, age-adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) and 95 % confidence intervals were estimated for these two groups using a log-binomial regression model. Compared to white men, Arab American men had a higher prevalence of diabetes (PR 1.40, 95 % CI 1.29–1.52) and hypertension (PR 1.07, 95 % CI 1.04–1.10), and a lower prevalence of chronic lower respiratory disease (PR 0.74, 95 % CI 0.66–0.83). Compared to white women, Arab American women had a higher prevalence of chronic lower respiratory disease (PR 1.12, 95 % CI 1.01–1.25), diabetes (PR 1.49, 95 % CI 1.38–1.60), influenza/pneumonia (PR 1.26, 95 % CI 1.05–1.51) and hypertension (PR 1.04, 95 % CI 1.01–1.08). This study supports previous findings that health disparities exist for Arab Americans, who are classified as “white” in health statistics. Standard inclusion of Arab American as a separate ethnicity category will aid researchers in assessing the health care needs of this growing minority community.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Sciences, Oakland University, 3148 Human Health Building, Rochester, MI, 48309-4428, USA

    Florence J. Dallo & Joseph David Kirma

  2. Department of Oncology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Julie J. Ruterbusch

  3. Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Kendra Schwartz

  4. Minority Outreach Program, Beaumont Cancer Institute, Royal Oak, MI, USA

    Monty Fakhouri

Authors
  1. Florence J. Dallo
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  4. Kendra Schwartz
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  5. Monty Fakhouri
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Correspondence to Florence J. Dallo.

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None of the authors have any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest with this research study.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Because this is a retrospective chart review, formal consent is not required.

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Dallo, F.J., Ruterbusch, J.J., Kirma, J.D. et al. A Health Profile of Arab Americans in Michigan: A Novel Approach to Using a Hospital Administrative Database. J Immigrant Minority Health 18, 1449–1454 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0296-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0296-8

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