Participatory Approaches to Addressing Missing COVID-19 Race and Ethnicity Data
Open Access
- 18 June 2021
- journal article
- editorial
- Published by MDPI AG in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Vol. 18 (12), 6559
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126559
Abstract
Varying dimensions of social, environmental, and economic vulnerability can lead to drastically different health outcomes. The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-19) pandemic exposes how the intersection of these vulnerabilities with individual behavior, healthcare access, and pre-existing conditions can lead to disproportionate risks of morbidity and mortality from the virus-induced illness, COVID-19. The available data shows that those who are black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) bear the brunt of this risk; however, missing data on race/ethnicity from federal, state, and local agencies impedes nuanced understanding of health disparities. In this commentary, we summarize the link between racism and COVID-19 disparities and the extent of missing data on race/ethnicity in critical COVID-19 reporting. In addition, we provide an overview of the current literature on missing demographic data in the US and hypothesize how racism contributes to nonresponse in health reporting broadly. Finally, we argue that health departments and healthcare systems must engage communities of color to co-develop race/ethnicity data collection processes as part of a comprehensive strategy for achieving health equity.This publication has 58 references indexed in Scilit:
- Data and Measurement Issues in the Analysis of Health DisparitiesHealth Services Research, 2010
- Poverty and Health Disparities for American Indian and Alaska Native ChildrenAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2008
- Arab Identity and Ideology in Sudan: The Politics of Language, Ethnicity, and RaceAfrican Affairs, 2007
- The Implications of Racial Misclassification by ObserversAmerican Sociological Review, 2007
- When home is where the stress is: expanding the dimensions of housing that influence asthma morbidityArchives of Disease in Childhood, 2006
- Racial and ethnic identification practices in public health data systems in New EnglandPublic Health Reports, 2002
- Racial and Ethnic Identification Practices in Public Health Data Systems in New EnglandPublic Health Reports, 2002
- Use of Black English and Racial Discrimination in Urban Housing MarketsUrban Affairs Review, 2001
- Criollo, mestizo, mulato, LatiNegro, indigena, white, or black? The US Hispanic/Latino population and multiple responses in the 2000 censusAmerican Journal of Public Health, 2000
- Race/ethnicity misclassification of persons reported with AIDSEthnicity & Health, 1996