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Health disparities among adults with voice problems in the United States
Author(s) -
Hur Kevin,
Zhou Sheng,
Bertelsen Caitlin,
Johns Michael M.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1002/lary.26947
Subject(s) - medicine , health care , odds , health insurance , health equity , telephone survey , public health , young adult , cross sectional study , odds ratio , multivariate analysis , socioeconomic status , demography , national health interview survey , gerontology , family medicine , logistic regression , environmental health , population , nursing , political science , business , pathology , sociology , law , marketing
Objective To assess differences in access to care and healthcare utilization among adults who reported voice problems in 2012. Study Design Cross‐sectional study. Methods The 2012 National Health Interview Survey was utilized to evaluate adults who had a “voice problem in the past 12 months.” Multivariate analyses determined the influence of sociodemographic variables on the prevalence of voice problems in adults and access to care. Results Among 243 million adults in the United States, 17.9 ± 0.05 million adults (7.63% ± 0.21%) report experiencing voice problems. After controlling for age, education, income level, geographic region, and health insurance status, African Americans (odds ratio [OR]: 0.83, P < 0.05), Hispanics (OR: 0.61, P < 0.01), and other minorities (OR: 0.69, P < 0.01) had a lower OR for reporting voice problems in the last year relative to white adults. Among adults with voice problems, Hispanics were more likely to delay care because they could not reach a medical office by telephone (OR: 1.85, P < 0.01) and due to long wait times at the doctor's office (OR: 2.04, P < 0.01) compared to white adults. Adults with voice problems who were a racial minority, low income, or had public health insurance were more likely to postpone care because they lacked a mode of transportation. Conclusion Targeted programs are necessary to address the health disparities and barriers to care among those who suffer from voice problems. Level of Evidence IV. Laryngoscope , 128:915–920, 2018