Transition to New Race and Ethnicity Data Collection in Veterans Affairs
Author Information
Author(s): Sohn Min-Woong, Zhang Huiyuan, Arnold Noreen, Stroupe Kevin, Taylor Brent C, Wilt Timothy J, Hynes Denise M
Primary Institution: Midwest Center for Health Services and Policy Research, Hines, IL, USA
Hypothesis
How does the transition from observer-recorded to self-reported race/ethnicity data affect the accuracy and usability of race data in the Department of Veterans Affairs?
Conclusion
The study found excellent agreement between observer-recorded and self-reported race/ethnicity data for Whites and African Americans, but significant under-reporting and inaccuracies for non-African American minorities.
Supporting Evidence
- In 2004, only about 39% of VA healthcare users reported race/ethnicity values other than 'unknown' or 'declined.'
- Over 95% of observer-recorded data agreed with self-reported data.
- The accuracy of observer-recorded races was much worse for other minority groups.
Takeaway
This study looked at how the way the VA collects race information changed and found that while the new method works well for some groups, it doesn't capture all races accurately.
Methodology
The study compared self-reported race/ethnicity data from 2004 with observer-recorded data from 1997 to 2002 for all unique users of VA healthcare services.
Potential Biases
There is a risk of underestimating racial disparities due to systematic misclassification in observer-recorded data.
Limitations
The study did not consider the characteristics of VA users who had no self-reported data, which may affect the accuracy of the findings.
Participant Demographics
The study included 4.8 million VA healthcare users, with 39% providing valid self-reported race data.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website