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“What makes the difference for us to truly call ourselves skin color experts is that we don’t just care about brown or black bodies, many of us do.” must think about health equity and what I’m talking about [today] It’s when you’re in the office with the patient,” said Candrice Heath, MD, FAAP, FAAD, assistant professor of dermatology and director of pediatric dermatology at Temple University. Heath spoke at his 2023 Atopic Dermatitis Revolutionary Conference in Washington, D.C., discussing key conversations dermatologists need to consider to combat racism in medicine. In particular, Heath highlighted the large role racism plays in patients of color who do not receive the appropriate atopic dermatitis (AD) care they need.
Dermatologists treat patients with skin of color, so they know what else is going on in their lives, what they are talking about in the office, and what they are not talking about. , it is important to consider the economic factors currently causing their access to be limited. to AD care. Heath made some high-level points about disparity trends in patients with different skin colors.
- Increased hospitalization for Alzheimer’s disease is associated with being nonwhite
- AD often persists into mid-childhood in black and Hispanic children
- Increased AD treatment resistance is more common in patients with colored skin
- Children living in urban areas are more likely to have persistent Alzheimer’s disease and asthma
Heath then discussed race as a social structure and how its detrimental side effects persist across generations and affect access to health care. The social makeup of race makes patients of skin color more susceptible to racism, and racism directly affects access to health care, socioeconomic status, and the environment. colour.
According to Heath, race also has a negative impact on educational attainment and health literacy. Health Regarding his literacy, Heath described a study at Ohio State University. The study explored the number of words children hear when reading books before their 5th birthday and how it affects the children’s lives.
A child who has not read a book by the age of 5 hears about 4600 words. Heath said age 5 is important because that’s when children start kindergarten, and a child who reads one or two books a week hears about 63,000 words. A child who reads two to five times a week hears 169,000 words. Children who read every day hear her 296,000 words by their fifth birthday. A child who reads five books a day, she hears over 1.4 million words before entering kindergarten.
Heath stressed that parents and caregivers who work long shifts may not be able to afford to enroll their child in a literacy-focused daycare. I pointed out that it may not seem like we’re talking about dermatitis, but it’s all related. To do.
“I encourage people to think beyond access to healthcare and think about the quality of healthcare. [instead]said Heath. Access to healthcare does not always equate to quality healthcare.
Mr. Heath concluded the session by saying that children cannot choose their parents and if they cannot assert themselves, children with skin of color will suffer from persistent Alzheimer’s disease and inaccessible/poor quality. He reminded attendees of the increased risk of getting medical care.Dermatologists are more likely to suffer from lack of AD care with children when having tough discussions about pediatric health, Heath said. Decisions must be made with the children in mind.
reference
- Heath C. Addressing Racism in Medicine. Presented at the 2023 Revolutionary Atopic Dermatitis Conference. April 29-May 1, 2023. Washington DC.