Open AccessExperience of racism and associations with unmet need and healthcare satisfaction: the 2011/12 adult New Zealand Health Survey
Author(s) -
Harris Ricci B.,
Cormack Donna M.,
Stanley James
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/1753-6405.12835
Subject(s) - racism , health care , medicine , psychology , family medicine , sociology , gender studies , political science , law
Objective: Racism may affect health through differential access to, and quality of, healthcare. This study examined associations between experience of racism and unmet need and satisfaction with healthcare. Methods: Cross‐sectional analysis of the 2011/12 adult New Zealand Health Survey (n=12,596) was undertaken. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between experience of racism (by a health professional and other experiences of racism [ever]) and unmet need for a general practitioner and satisfaction with a usual medical centre in the past year. Results: Experience of racism by a health professional and other forms of racism were higher among Māori, Pacific and Asian groups compared to European/Other. Both racism measures were associated with higher unmet need (health professional racism adjusted OR 3.52, 95%CI 2.42–5.11; other racism OR 2.21, 95%CI 1.78–2.75) and lower satisfaction with a usual medical centre (health professional racism adjusted OR 0.25, 95%CI 0.15–0.34; other racism OR 0.60, 95%CI 0.45–0.79). Conclusions: Racism may act as a barrier to, and influence the quality of, healthcare. Implications for public health: Addressing racism as a public health issue and major driver of inequities in healthcare and health outcomes is required within the health sector and wider society.